
Book___ 



63dCongbess1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES {°K'^''fj??^ 

Jd Session i t I\ o. i4^i) 



ROBERT GUNN BREMNER 

( Late a Representative from New Jersey ) 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



DELIVERED IN THE 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE 

OF THE UNITED STATES 



"A^/^ 



SIXTY-THIRD CONGRESS 



Proceedings in the House 
January 2-1, 191S 



Proceedings in the Senate 
Februar>' 6, 1914 



PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 
THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING 




WASHINGTON 
1915 



Ip 



oils 



D. of D. 
NOV . 1915 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Proceedings in the House 5-37 

Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D 6, 8 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. James A. Hamill, of New Jersey 11 

Mr. Warren W. Bailey, of Pennsylvania 15 

Mr. Archibald C. Hart, of New Jersey 19 

Mr. John J. Eagan, of New Jersey 22 

Mr. Dow H. Drukker, of New Jersey 26 

Mr. Andrew J. Montague, of Virginia 28 

Mr. J. Thompson Baker, of New Jersey 30 

Mr. Henry George, jr., of New York 31 

Mr. William J. Browning, of New Jersey 36 

Proceedings in the Senate 39-40 

Funeral services 41 

Tributes by — 

President Woodrow Wilson 4, 45 

Mr. Joseph P. Tumulty, Secretary to the President 45 

Senator James E. Martine, of New Jersey 45 

Senator William Hughes, of New Jersey 46 

Representative Eugene F. Kinkead, of New Jersey 48 

Representative Allan B. Walsh, of New Jersey 48 

Representative Edward W. Townsend, of New Jersey-- 48 

Representative William E. Tuttle, jr., of New Jersey 49 

Representative Walter I. McCoy, of New Jersey 49 

Attorney General John W. Wescott, of New Jersey 49 

Mayor George N. Seger, of Passaic, N. J 50 

State Senator Charles O'Connor Hennessy, of New 

Jersey 50 

Gen. Bird W. Spencer, of Passaic, N. J 51 

Capt. James Parker, of New Jersey 51 

New Jersey newspapers 53 

Memorial services in Washington, D. C 66 

Address bv Mr. Herbert Janvrin Browne 66 



[3] 



WOODROW WILSON'S TRIBUTE 



In a speech at Paterson, N. J., on the evening 
of November 4, 1912, the day before the presi- 
dential election, Woodrow Wilson, advocating 
the election of Mr. Bremner to Congress, uttered 
these words, which have been inscribed on a 
bronze tablet that the friends of Mr. Bremner 
have erected in Passaic, N. J.: 

If Ever in All Your Life You Knew of a 
Better, Truer, and More Indomit.\ble Fighter 
Than "Bob" Bremner, I'd Like to Have You 
Show Him to Me. He Is Ever Re.\dy to Battle 
On and On for Principle. Odds Do Not Daunt 
Him. 

In Coming in Contact With Him on Frequent 
Occasions, I Have Always Been Made to Feel 
His Great Charm and His Influence. After 
Meeting Him, Wherever it Might Be, I Always 
Feel Like ax Old Storage Electric Battery 
That Has Been Renewed by Such Contact. 

Now, Let Us Have Some of That Electrical 
Power at Washington. We Need It There. 
Not That There Is None There Now, but I'd 
Like to See This Great Force— This Red- 
Blooded, Fighting Bremner Force Diffused in 
the House of Representatives and Used for 
the Benefit of the Nation. 

I'd Like to See This Fighter Down in Wash- 
ington. There are Fighters There, but They 
Would Be Encouraged and Heartened if They 
Could See Bremner Once a Day — This Indomi- 
table, Plucky Soul. 



[4] 




"^^^i^iSf^'. 



HON.ROBERT G.BREMMEP. 



DEATH OF HON. ROBERT GUM BREMNER 



Proceedings in the House of Representatives 

Thursday, February 5, 19H. 

Mr. Hamill. Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged reso- 
lution. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. 
Hamill] offers a privileged resolution, which the Clerk 
will report. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of Hon. Robert Gunn Bremner, a Representative from 
the State of New Jersey. 

Resolved, That a committee of the House, with such Members 
of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to attend the funeral. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant at Arms of the House be authorized 
and directed to talie such steps as may be necessary for carrying 
out the provisions of these resolutions, and that the necessary 
expenses in connection therewith be paid out of the contingent 
fund of the House. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

The Speaker. Is there objection to the present consid- 
eration of the resolutions? [After a pause.] The Chair 
hears none. The question is on agreeing to the reso- 
lutions. 

The resolutions were unanimoush' agreed to. 

The Speaker. The Chair appoints as the committee on 
the part of the House the following gentlemen : 

'Sir. Hamill, INIr. Kinkead of New Jersey, Mr. Scully, Mr, 
Tattle, Mr. McCoy, Mr. Townsend, Mr. Hart, Mr. Baker, 
Mr. Walsh, Mr. Eagan, Mr. Johnson of Kentucky, Mr. 

[5] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Bremner 

George, Mr. Aslibrook, Mr. Browning, Mr. Gary, Mr. 
Prouty, Mr. Wallin, Mr. Winslow, Mr. Keister, and Mr. 
Broussard. 

The Speaker. The Glerk will report the next resolution. 

The Glerk read as follows : 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect this House do now 
adjourn. 

The Speaker. The question is on agreeing to the reso- 
lution. 

The resolution was unanimously agreed to; accordingly 
(at 6 o'clock and 46 minutes p. m.) the House adjourned 
until to-morrow, Friday, February 6, 1914, at 12 o'clock 
noon. 

Friday, February 6, 19M. 

The House met at 12 o'clock noon. 

The Ghaplain, Rev. Henr\- N. Gouden, D. D., ofTered the 
following prayer: 

O Thou who hast ever been our refuge and our strength, 
a very present help in trouble, our hearts turn instinc- 
tively to Thee in this time of sorrow. The silver cord has 
been loosed, the golden bowl broken, the soul of another 
Member of this House has crossed the great divide. 

None knew him but to love him; 
None named him but to praise. 

His sunny smile and cheery words from a warm, sym- 
pathetic heart will be missed by us and by a host of 
friends in all the walks and conditions of life. Strong, 
brave, noble, generous. Thou hast called him to the realm 
from whence no traveler returns. But blessed be Thy 
holy name for the profound faith and eternal hope which 
fill our breasts. He may not return to us, but we shall 
go to him, to be greeted once more bj' the warm clasp 
of his hand, the bright smile, and cheery voice. Be this 

[6] 



Proceedings in the House 



our comfort and solace to those who are bound to him 
by the ties of kinship. 

To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die. 

The faith, the hope, the love born of Heaven will live on 
forever. Thus may we cherish his memory. Thus may 
we press forward with brave and manly hearts, trusting 
in the undying love of a HeavenI}' Father who doeth all 
things well. In the name of Him who taught us that life 
is stronger than death. Amen. 

Mr. Johnson of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, the late Repre- 
sentative Bremner, who died yesterday, and who is to be 
buried on Monday next, was a member of the Committee 
on the District of Columbia. Under the rules of the 
House, Monday next, February 9, 1914, is District day. 
As many members of the committee desire to attend his 
funeral, I ask unanimous consent that the business in 
order on Monday next be transferred from Monday until 
Thursday, February 12, 1914. 

The Speaker. Is there objection? 

There was no objection, and it was so ordered. 

Friday, December 18, Wli. 

Mr. Drukker. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
for the present consideration of the order which I send to 
the Clerk's desk. 

The Speaker. The Clerk will report the order. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Ordered, That Sunday, January 24, 1915, be set apart for ad- 
dresses on the life, character, and public services of Hon. Robert 
G. Bremner, late a Representative from the State of New Jersey. 

The Speaker. Without objection, it is so ordered. 
There was no objection. 



[7] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Bremxer 

Thursday, January 21, 1915. 
The Speaker. The Chair assigns the gentleman from 
New Jersey [Mr. Baker] to preside next Sunday at the 
memorial exercises on account of the deatli of the late 
Mr. Bremner, of New Jersey. 

Sunday, January 24, 1915. 

The House met at 12 o'clock noon, and was called to 
order by Mr. Baker as Speaker pro tempore. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the 
following prayer : 

O Thou God and Father of us all, the inspiration of all 
that is purest, noblest, best in us; the author and finisher 
of our faith. We are here to-daj^ in memorj' of a 
departed soul who left behind him an enviable record, 
a mechanic, a soldier, a journalist, a Member of this 
House, and, though his career was cut short by the hand 
of death, whatever he did he put his soul into it and won 
the plaudits of his fellows for efficiency and faithfulness, 
than which no greater tribute can be paid to any man. 

It is not the man who lives longest but the man who 
puts into a short life the best that is in him who accom- 
plishes most. We mourn his going, but the memory' of 
his genial and optimistic view of life, which under the 
most adverse and discouraging" circumstances left its 
impress and still lives in the hearts of all with whom he 
came in contact, to him the Avell done, good and faithful 
servant, came in all its fullness, and though his body has 
passed into dust his soul lives to the glory and honor of 
his Maker. 

Be this our comfort and solace to those to whom he was 
nearest and dearest. Give to us and to them the upward 
look, the undying hope in Him who burst the bonds of 



[8] 



Proceedings in the House 



death, the earnest of all who put their trust in Him, and 
Thine be the glory forever. Amen. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The Clerk will read the spe- 
cial order for to-daj'. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

On motion of Mr. Drukker, by unanimous consent, 
Ordered, That Sunday, January 24, 1915, be set apart for serv- 
ices upon the life, character, and public services of Hon. Robert 
G. Bremner, late a Representative from the State of New Jersey. 

Mr. Drukker. Mr. Speaker, several Members of the 
House who had signified their intention of being here 
to-day have been unexpectedlj' called from the city. I 
ask unanimous consent tliat they may print in the Record 
remarks on the life, character, and services of the late 
Mr. Bremner. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The gentleman from New 
Jersey asks unanimous consent that Members who desire 
to do so may print in the Record remarks on the life, 
character, and services of the late Mr. Bremner. Is there 
objection? 

There was no objection. 

Mr. Drukker. Mr. Speaker, I send to the Clerk's desk 
the following resolution. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The Clerk will report the 
resolution offered by the gentleman from New Jersey. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

House resolution 711 

Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended 
that opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory of Hon. 
Robert G. Bremner, late a Member of this House from the State 
of New Jersey. 

Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory 
of the deceased and in recognition of his distinguished public 



[9] 



Memorial Addkesses: Representative Bremner 

career the House, at the conclusion of these exercises, shall stand 
adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to 
the family of the deceased. 

The resolution was agreed to. 



[10] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Hamill, of New Jersey 

Mr. Speaker : We have come here to-day in compliance 
with a commendable and well-observed rule of this 
House to remember our departed colleague, Robert Gunn 
Bremner. Amidst the many cares and duties of our busy 
daily life we have paused for a while to hold these few 
simple ceremonies in order that the motto, "Gone, but 
not forgotten," may not be a mere empty form of words 
but that it may possess a living, definite, and emphatic 
meaning. 

Our absent colleague has gone away, never again to 
return. He has left us in the heyday of his young man- 
hood and before his ambitions were realized or his hopes 
were fulfilled. He has gone into the silent land. He has 
succumbed to the onslaught of death, the conqueror. 

How resistless is the mightj^ and destroying angel, 
death. What mortal power for a moment can impede 
his approach? Who can defj' his dread summons to join 
the countless host whose home lies beyond the portals of 
the grave? Can power, however extensive; can wealth, 
however boundless; or learning, however marvelous, 
ward off or withstand him? No! The king, whose mere 
nod commands obeisance from millions of subjects, will 
in turn one day jdeld obeisance to a monarch more abso- 
lute; the conqueror, whose might is invincible, will 
eventually perish at the approach of a conqueror unseen; 
the opulent one, whose uncounted wealth can purchase 
every pleasure in life, can not with all his treasures buy 

[11] 



IMemokial Addresses : Representative Bremner 

immunity from death. And science, with all its wonder- 
ful discoveries and developments, can compound no 
elixir that will prolong human existence a moment be- 
yond its allotted span. Ever>' hour of bounding life 
urges us on to death, and the whole world without excep- 
tion sweeps on to its gigantic burial — 

The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow'r, 
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, 

Await alike the inevitable hour. 

The paths of glory lead but to the grave. 

Death is indeed inevitablj' certain in its occurrence, but 
the time when it will arrive is uncertain and unheralded. 
We can tell in advance the regular revolution of the sea- 
sons or the alternate coming of night and day; we can 
determine the time when trees and grasses will grow and 
wither, when roses will bloom and fade, but human eye 
can not pierce nor can human reason remove the veil 
that shrouds and conceals the coming of death. 

Leaves have their time to fall, 

And flowers to wither at the north-wind's breath. 
And stars to set; but all, 

Thou hast all seasons for thine own, Death! 

These thoughts teem in our minds during this quiet 
and suggestive hour as we commemorate him who in life 
was numbered among us. 

We tender our deepest condolences to his stricken fam- 
ily and linger a few moments to reflect upon his busy and 
useful life. 

Robert Gunn Bremner was born on December 17, 1873, 
in the little village of Keiss, in Caithness, the most 
northern county of Scotland. His father was a seaman 
and ship carpenter by trade. The small, peaceful village, 
however, afforded few opportunities for prosperity, and 
to advance the fortunes of the family the father sailed 
for America and finally settled on a farm in Canada. 

[12] 



Address of Mr. Hamill, of New Jersey 

Life on the farm was hard, and Robert early became 
inured to hard labor, but it was possible bj' dint of unre- 
mitting industry' to give him the advantages of an educa- 
tion. During his earlier years he attended the local 
schools. This education was supplemented by a course 
in the higher educational institutions, Avhere he equipped 
himself to follow the profession of school-teacher. He 
was always an eager and hungry student. He read everj' 
book that was available and feverishly panted for that 
broader knowledge which he afterwards possessed in 
so marked a degree. This passion for books and knowl- 
edge never abated. 

He abandoned the profession of school-teaching and 
took up the trade of electrician. In this new field he 
met with small success. He was not a man to succeed 
in trade or a mechanical business. He knew nothing 
about driving sharp bargains, or if he did he never put it 
into practice, and as a result he soon abandoned this 
avocation. 

Finally he drifted into journalism and it was in this 
profession that he achieved distinction and success. He 
served as a representative of different papers in the city 
of Paterson, N. J., and in 1902 took charge of the Passaic 
Herald. His reputation as a journalist is identified with 
the growth and prosperity of that newspaper in the up- 
building of which he took such a conspicuous part. He 
made it one of the ablest papers in the State. He had a 
hard struggle at first, but by pluck, energ3,% and determi- 
nation made his newspaper adventure a splendid success. 

We who were admitted to his warm friendship knew 
him as a most lovable man, and all who came within the 
scope of his influence entertained for him the deepest 
aff'cction. His face was itself a fair tj'pe of his nature, 
which was essentially of the sunshine character. All of 
us admired his brilliant intellect and all of us knew his 



[13] 



Memorial Addresses : Refresentativ'e Bremner 

warm, unselfish heart. He held high place in public 
esteem and in the affection of his legion of friends. Had 
his life been spared he would undoubtedly have taken a 
commanding position in the deliberations of this House. 

It is unnecessary for me to recount the heroic struggle 
which he made against the remorseless disease which 
eventually consumed his life. The country watched his 
brave fight with eager interest and felt a severe pang 
when his eyelids closed in death. His struggle to regain 
health ceased only when he lapsed into unconsciousness 
from which he passed into death. As he himself ex- 
pressed it in memorable words, "The question is not 
whether I am going to get well, but rather if I am going 
to live up to ideals for dying gamely, which are just as 
helpful to the race as living bravely." 

He of all men made unselfishness the rule of his daily 
life, and there has never been a more self-sacrificing 
character or a more self-abnegating spirit or one who had 
more watchful regard for the comfort and interest of 
others than Robert Gunn Bremner. He remained 
throughout all his life a brave, honorable. Christian gen- 
tleman, a loyal friend, and a lover of his fellow men. 

On that dark February 5, 1914, when the soul of Robert 
Bremner fled from the busy scenes of earth to seek its 
Maker and its God, the curtain fell on a human life brim- 
ful of the most inspiring instances of noble and unselfish 
eiTort, a life which will always continue to exert a deep 
and inspiring impression. 

All must go to their cold graves; 

Only the actions of the just 

Smell sweet and blossom in the dust. 



[14] 



Address of Mr. Bailey, of Pennsylvania 

Mr. Speaker : If we are to understand the brave soul in 
whose memory we are assembled to-day, we must under- 
stand something at least of the philosophy which bore 
him up even in the unspeakable agonies which gripped 
his poor body as he dropped slowly down into the valley 
of the shadow of death. 

Bob Bremner was one of the finest souls it has ever been 
my good fortune to know. While nij' personal acquaint- 
ance with him was but brief; while we met only a very 
few times, and then only for fleeting moments, I had 
known of him for years, and had known of his work as a 
newspaper man, and as an evangel of that great gospel 
of brotherhood in spreading which almost his latest 
breath was given. 

We were drawn together by a kinship of faith, by a kin- 
ship of aspiration, by a kinship of desire. All the great 
heart of Bob Bremner was responsive to the cry of the 
oppressed. He hated injustice. His anger flamed out 
against tyranny. Every fiber of his being rebelled 
against a social system which condemns increasing thou- 
sands to involuntary poverty. 

Against this stupid system Bob Bremner arrayed him- 
self in deadly and unrelenting conflict. To the very last 
hours of his life he was dedicated to its overthrow; and 
there can be no doubt that had disease not laid him low 
he would have become a power in this House, as he had 
been a power in his State and in his city, for the advance- 
ment of the fundamental truths which lay at the base of 
his philosophy and made living to him worth while. 



[15] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Bremner 

The increase of poverty with the increase of wealth 
was to him a monstrous perversion of the natural order. 
He could reconcile the fact with no sane interpretation 
of God's design in this world. To him the want and mis- 
ery which he saw all around him were a frightful indict- 
ment of our so-called Christian civilization. It was at 
the same time a sharp and bitter impeachment of a social 
order which would tolerate it. 

While there was never a more charitable being on earth 
than Bob Bremner, charity, in his estimation, was no 
solution of the problem which forces itself upon our 
attention at every turn. He gave with a free hand, yet 
knowing that in giving he was perhaps accentuating the 
evil which he sought to relieve. But he never was con- 
tent with mere giving. That did not salve his conscience 
as it salves the conscience of so many. He felt that more 
than this was demanded, and so he gave of his life, of his 
labor, of the very essence of his fine soul to the solution 
of the problem itself by breaking down the barriers be- 
tween labor and opportunity, between the worker and 
the good things which wait on effort. 

Bob Bremner saw with a clear vision the monstrous 
blasphemy against the Creator of that comfortable doc- 
trine which ascribes the present social order to a dispen- 
sation from on high. He knew that God did not create 
this beautiful earth for the fortunate few. He knew it 
was created for all the children of men. The heaven, 
even the heaven is the Lord's; but the earth hath He given 
to the children of men — not to some of the children; not 
to the children of some men; not to my lord or his grace; 
not to the first comers and their heirs and assigns forever, 
but to all the children of men throughout all the genera- 
tions; theirs to live and labor on; theirs to enjoy; theirs 
to make blossom as the rose. 



[161 



Address of Mr. Bailey, of Penns\xvania 

I do not know what faith as to the future our friend 
had. I do not know that conventional faith had any hold 
on him at all. But I do know that he had a religion of 
humanity which irradiated his life and gave it a sweet 
and beautiful meaning. With Henry George he felt that 
it was not selfishness that enriches the annals of everj' 
people with heroes and saints. 

It is not selfishness that on every page of the world's history 
bursts out in sudden splendor of noble deeds or sheds the soft 
radiance of benignant lives. It was not selfishness that turned 
Gautama's back to his royal home or bade the Maid of Orleans 
lift the sword from the altar; that held the Three Hundred in the 
Pass of Thermopylae, or gathered into Winkelried's bosom the 
sheaf of spears; that chained Vincent de Paul to the bench of the 
galley, or brought little starving children during the Indian 
famine tottering to the relief stations with yet weaker starvelings 
in their arms. Call it religion, patriotism, sympathy, the enthu- 
siasm for humanity, or the love of God — give it what name you 
will, there is yet a force which overcomes and drives out selfish- 
ness; a force which is the electricity of the moral universe; a 
force beside which all others are weak. 

And it was this force which possessed Bob Bremner and 
bore him up even when tlie shadows were gathering 
around about him. With him it was possible to say in 
the words of the great leader he was so proud to follow: 

Look around to-day. Lo, here, now, in our civilized society, 
the old allegories yet have a meaning, the old myths are still true. 
Into the Valley of the Shadow of Death yet often leads the path 
of duty, through the streets of Vanity Fair walk Christian and 
Faithful; and on Greatheart's armor ring the clanging blows. 
Ormuzd still fights with Ahriman — the Prince of Light with the 
Powers of Darkness. He who will hear, to him the clarions of 
the battle call. 

How they call, and call, and call, till the heart swells that 
hears them! Strong soul and high endeavor, the world needs 
them now. Beauty still lies imprisoned; and iron wheels go over 

90537°— 15 2 [17] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Bremner 



the good and true and beautiful that might spring from human 
lives. And they who fight with Ormuzd — 

As our brother so bravely did — 

though they may not know each other — somewhere, sometime, 
will the muster roll be called. 



[18] 



Address of Mr. Hart, of New Jersey 

Mr. Speaker: When night was coming upon the Hon. 
Robert Gunn Bremner; when, tortured by a gnawing pain 
and martyred by experiment, he soothed his sufferings 
with the thought — 

My life is not worth one-tenth of the effort that has been put 
forth to save it. I am ready for the scrap-heap, but I feel the 

cutting and the doctoring has added to the knowledge . Some 

poor soul who comes after may benefit. The question is not 
whether I am going to get well or not, but rather if I am going 
to live up to ideals under tests; for dying gamely is just as helpful 
to the race as living bravely. Some day science will conquer, and 
I think I would rather be in the category of those who were in 
the fight and helped win the victory than be one of those who 
placidly reap the benefit — 

He voiced his dominant characteristic — a sinking of 
self in the welfare of others. 

He had an eye single upon the advancement of all but 
himself. In a long and close companionship, I never 
heard him seek personal preferment or consideration; 
and he was influenced to accept the nomination which 
resulted in his election to the House of Representatives 
largely because by so doing it was believed he would 
assist his associates. 

His father was a victim of the decaying industries of 
Wick, Caithness, Scotland, of which Stevenson wrote: 
" The meanest of man's towns in the baldest of God's 
bays." 

While "Bob" was yet a child in arms his father emi- 
grated to Canada. The spirit of this father, which en- 
abled him to cast aside the memory of a lost fortune and 
begin life anew, in not only a new enterprise but in an 



[19] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Bremner 

unknown country, was inherited by "Bob" Bremner in 
marked degree. 

Believing the sphere of his youth too narrow, without 
plan, and armed alone by a supreme confidence in his 
own resourcefulness, early in life he passed from his rural 
home to one of our largest cities. 

Without assistance, he procured employment in this 
unfamiliar environment. Progressing, step by step, he 
soon became the proprietor and editor of one of the most 
influential newspapers in northern New Jersey, and a 
benefactor of the poor and distressed. 

His faults were other people's virtues. 

I occupy the desk that was once my late colleague's, and 
am inspired by Carlyle's lines, conspicuously placed 
thereon by him : 

Out of eternity this new day is born; 

Into eternity at niglit will return. 

Behold it aforetime no eye ever did, 

So soon it forever from all eyes is hid. 

So here has been dawning another blue day. 

Think; wilt thou let it slip useless away? 

He entertained no fear, except of idleness and useless- 
ness. There seemed no limit to his ambition or his activi- 
ties. While lying in apparent agony, a smile struggling 
with a facial twitch of pain, his greeting was ever " Never 
felt better in all my life," a pardonable misstatement. He 
shamed us all who were prone to complain. 

That smile has passed from us, but the memory of it 
is here, and we may retain it as our most valuable asset. 
He taught us to work, to produce, to suffer — and yet to 
smile. And fortunate is the man who profits by " Bob's " 
lesson. 

He was never spectacular, but ever persuasive. There 
was none of the spurious about Bob Bremner. He de- 
tested hypocrisy and falsehood — the falsehood of deeds 

[20] 



Address of Mr. Hart, of New Jersey 



as of words. Born in poverty, suffering as a pioneer, he 
understood the poor and their struggles, and with indomi- 
table courage he fought their fight. 

His virtues were natural — he had no veneer. We 
served in one regiment through the Spanish-American 
campaign of 1898 and in close companionship I observed 
him — at all hours, under ever}' mental and physical 
influence. 

Truly, he was an asset to the world; he improved his 
talents and will hear "Well done." 

A companion of the press has handed me his tribute to 
our bereaved colleague. I have read it, and feel that it 
must strike a harmonious chord in everj' breast. 

(In memoriam R. G. Bremner, by L. H. Robbins, Newark Evening 
News) 



Upward his watchword was, and year by year, 
Joy in his eyes, he climbed the rugged way. 

Even when death's hard hand struck icy fear 
Into his soul, he halted not a day. 

Upward he toiled through grief no friend ftiight know, 
True to his dream at any painful price. 

Serving his fellow men we saw him go 
Up to the very door of Paradise. 



[21] 



Address of Mr. Eagan, of New Jersey 

Mr. Speaker: Almost a year ago there passed from 
among us one of the most remarkable men who ever sat 
in this legislative body, Robert Gunn Bremner, a Repre- 
sentative from the seventh congressional district of New 
Jersey. Following the old and beautiful custom of this 
House, we pause to-day in our legislative labors to pay 
our tributes of respect to his memory and to tell as best 
we may the story of his short but very useful life and to 
point out the lesson of that life. 

It was not my good fortune to know Bob Bremner until 
election to this House brought us into association with 
one another. In the all too short time between our first 
meeting and his death I saw but little of him, and yet 
that little was sufficient to convince me that Bob Bremner 
was one of the noblest of men. I must leave to those of 
my colleagues who knew him longer and more intimately 
the pleasant ta^k of recounting his many and more inti- 
mate virtues. 

Membership in this great body has its responsibilities 
and its cares, but it also has its compensations. One of 
the greatest of these is the intimate and enduring friend- 
ships which we form with one another. My friendship — 
aye, my love — for Bob Bremner began, as it did with 
everyone else who had the good fortune to know him, 
from the moment almost of our introduction. That 
friendship will be one of the dearest memories I shall take 
with me when I leave tliis House. The old saying, " To 
know him was to love him," applied with special force 
to Bob Bremner. 



[22] 



Address of Mr. Eagan, of New Jersey 

The world surely is better because Bob Bremner lived. 
Every Member of this House who knew him at all — in- 
deed, every man and woman in America who followed 
his manly fight for life against the ravages of the dread 
disease which was slowly but surely overwhelming him— 
is the better because the Almighty saw fit to place the 
great soul of Bob Bremner in its tenement of clay for a 
few short years. 

Bob Bremner was indeed " a brave man struggling in 
the storms of fate." Coupled with indomitable courage 
and great optimism was a never-failing cheerfulness, 
which enabled him to smile while undergoing the most 
intense pain. He possessed in a rare degree the ability 
to look on the brighter side of life and to impart to all 
who came within his reach much of the cheerfulness 
which radiated from him. 

His all-pervading good humor made him a welcome 
addition to any group of his fellows. His entrance into 
this Chamber was always the signal for many eyes to be 
turned on him in admiration of his manly struggle against 
fate, and for a number of his colleagues to gather around 
him to inquire how he was getting on and to be enter- 
tained by his quaint and wittj' comments on men and 
events. 

I shall never forget the last visit made to him by Con- 
gressman Hart and myself at Dr. Kelly's sanitarium in 
Baltimore a few dajs before his death. We found him 
propped up in bed with Bible on one side and a volume 
of Shakespeare on the other. When we entered the 
room it was plain to us that the shadow of death was even 
then upon him. I believe that he knew that he had but 
a verj' few days to live and yet he was as cheerful as when 
I first met him. He assured us that he would be back 
at his work in a short time and told us of the plans he 
was making for his return to the House and to his con- 

[23] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Bremner 

gressional labors. He appeared to take as keen an 
interest in events as if he really expected to be back at 
his work the following week. We recited at some length 
the storj^ of our patronage and other troubles of the pre- 
ceding week, to his great amusement. He recounted to 
us his own troubles along the same line with his usual 
zest and good humor. It was almost impossible to realize 
that a spirit such as his was about to leave us. 

Bob Bremner was as unselfish as he was heroic. His 
heroism and unselfishness can be expressed in no better 
way than in the simple statement from wliat was to be 
his deathbed that even if the treatment to which he was 
being subjected were to prove unsuccessful in his own 
case, he was glad to suffer if the experiment should result 
in relieving others afflicted with the dread disease which 
was soon to claim him for its own. He suffered intense 
agony in these experiments, not so much, I believe, in the 
hope that it might benefit himself as that it would bene- 
fit others. 

I can not conclude this feeble tribute to the memory of 
my friend and colleague without a reference to the sis- 
terly devotion and affection of Miss Helen Bremner. 
Miss Helen was with her brother constantly. She aided 
him in his congressional work, and when the heavy hand 
of illness was laid upon him and he was unable to go to 
his office she was his very able and courteous substitute. 
At the end of each day she dropped the role of secretary 
to take up that of nurse. 

While Bob Bremner's death was a very great loss to all 
the members of his family, it was, if possible, an even 
greater loss to Miss Helen, who never left the bedside of 
her brother during the last eight days of his illness. 

Bob Bremner's friends were legion. By none was he 
more esteemed and loved than by President Wilson and 



[24] 



Address of Mr. Eagan, of New Jersey 

his lamented wife. It is fitting that I should close with 
this tribute to his memory by President Wilson: 

I am deeply grieved by the loss of Bob Bremner. He was a 
personal friend, whom I greatly admired, and was such a man 
as attracts deep affection. Throughout his suffering, which was 
long-continued, he seemed never to think of himself, as he cer- 
tainly never spoke of himself, and he was tliroughout as keenly 
interested in the diligent performance of his public duties and in 
kindly offices to others as if he had been free from pain. I feel 
that a beautiful spirit has gone out of the world. 



[25] 



Address of Mr. Drukker, of New Jersey 

Mr. Speaker: Robert Gunn Bremner was born in Keiss, 
Scotland, December 17, 1873, and it was from his Scotch 
ancestry that he inherited much of the indomitable will 
and courage which marked his career. At an early age 
he went to Toronto and ultimately settled on a farm in 
the neighboring village of Camella. He studied dili- 
gently, taught school, and subsequently came to Paterson, 
N. J., where he engaged in newspaper work. At the out- 
break of the Spanish-American War he enlisted in 
Companj' C, Second New Jersey Volunteer Infantry. In 
1902 he became editor and publisher of the Passaic 
Herald, and served in that capacity up to the time of his 
death. 

Bob Bremner, as he was familiarly called, had the fac- 
ulty of making and retaining friends. His mind was a 
storehouse of knowledge; his disposition sunny and 
cheerful. He was eminently fitted for the career he had 
mapped out and for the duties which were imposed upon 
him during the last year of his life. 

His marked ability and leadership early attracted atten- 
tion; and though suffering from an incurable illness he 
was nominated by his party without opposition to repre- 
sent the seventh congressional district of New Jersey in 
the Sixty-third Congress. Only those who were favored 
with intimate acquaintance know how with pain-racked 
body he sought faithfully to carrj' out the wishes of his 
constituents. Those who were most closely associated 
with him during his protracted illness recall that even the 
greatest suffering could not break this masterly spirit of 
cheerfulness. No matter how severe his agony, this man. 



[26] 



Address of Mr. Drukker, of New Jersey 

whose body was so cruelly spent bj' disease, had always 
the same tender smile and cheery welcome for his visiting 
townspeople. 

History has made heroes of men whose deeds required 
no such fortitude as was displayed by this young Passaic 
editor, in whom bodily affliction could not put a check 
upon ambition, and who was able to look at life hopefully 
and philosophically even though, in his own heart, he 
knew that nothing could save him. 

We can well believe the storj^ which reached us from 
his bedside during his last hours. When asked whj' he 
submitted to further treatment after the attending phy- 
sicians were forced to admit that it was impossible to 
extend relief, he replied: 

They may not be able to help me, but they can learn something 
from their experience which may be of help to others. 

As an editor he did much for his city, where his pen was 
always ready to advocate reform. His life will be meas- 
ured not bj' his achievements in this Chamber, where his 
illness prevented him from regular attendance, but in 
Passaic, N. J., where he labored long and was untiring in 
his efforts to advance the public good. 



[27] 



Address of Mr. Montague, of Virginia 

Mr. Speaker: The late Member of this House in whose 
memory we are now gatliered has living within my dis- 
trict two brothers, one a very earnest and devout minister 
of the Gospel and the other a la\vj'er of capability and 
success, of energy and good example. Knowing well 
these gentlemen, for 1 count them my friends, I was nat- 
urally much interested in meeting their brother when I 
became a Member of this House. 

I had learned somewhat of his illness, but I was hardly 
prepared to see the inroad of this fatal malady so marked 
and so advanced. I first saw him sitting on the front row 
beyond the last aisle to the right of the Speaker with his 
arm apparently beneath the sleeve of his coat and sup- 
ported by a dark bandage of cloth. It was apparent that 
the winding sheet of death was more than half about 
him, but despite this gloomy picture I found the greeting 
cordial and cheerful, a face of smiles, almost effeminate 
in tenderness, and here and there a seam or line that indi- 
cated intensity of suffering, but a fortitude to combat it. 
Such a personality attracted me, as I am sure it attracted 
every Member who met him. 

It is a fine thing to see a man battling against tremen- 
dous adversities of life. It is an inspiration to see a great 
soul endeavoring to overcome the moral and physical 
difficulties of the world. But to observe at close hand a 
man fighting for his life against such transcendent obsta- 
cles, with supreme cheerfulness and rare courage, will 
perhaps leave to you and to me a stimulus for the public 
good, a contribution to our official standards, greater than 



[28] 



Address of Mr. Montague, of Virginia 

any forensic triumphs that may resound through this 
Hall. 

Eloquence may be sometimes preserved by the records 
of this House; wit may here and there leave a shaft to 
be seen in after years; reason and exposition may cleave 
the clouds of our doubts; but I suspect I voice the inner 
conscience of the membership of the House when I ob- 
serve that j'ou and I are most helped in the discharge of 
our public duties by contact with a clean, lofty soul stand- 
ing firm amidst racking pain and lowering clouds that 
gather about the end of the journey, and knowing no 
hypocrisy and no cant. 

In the short period of life, which is but a watch in the 
night, it is more helpful to strike hands with some sincere 
man, burdened with the same responsibilities, than to be 
moved by those forces that sometimes lend majesty to 
this forum. We have in our natures those subtle, finer, 
and more enduring qualities that find their sources in the 
spirit, and to the spirit the still, small voice is deep if not 
loud. Contact with such a character lends luster and 
exaltation to life. 

Mr. Speaker, it is a mournful pleasure to associate my- 
self with the membership of this House in giving some 
expression to my appreciation of Robert G. Bremxer and 
to pay my feeble tribute to this patient, hopeful man, 
with a serene but intrepid spirit, laboring for good amidst 
pain and agony and walking the last path of earth with 
a faith and a hope we may well en^'y. 



[29] 



Address of Mr. Baker, of New Jersey 

Mr. Speaker: Robert Gunn Bremner had individuality, 
forcCj and character. He could do things, and as much as 
other men might evade the onus of effort, so much and 
inore he would engage in the struggle that intervenes 
between being common and uncommon. 

His work shows what possibilities lie in the barest 
opportunity, for he was borne down for years by the tor- 
ments of wasting physical pain and had no auxiliaries 
beyond his own personality. 

His joyous countenance gave no sign of the suffering 
that racked his bodj\ He was a conqueror. His great 
spirit and will triumphed over as many obstacles as ever 
beset the path of any man, and his loss is a large subtrac- 
tion from the worth of the world. 



L30] 



Address of Mr. George, of New York 

Mr. Speaker: It is with deep and solemn joy that I 
participate in the services in memory of my colleague and 
friend, Robert Gunn Bremner. We were participants in 
certain committee work of this House of exempting 
buildings and all personal property from taxation that 
aimed to make Washington not only the most beautiful 
in the world, but the model of cities, showing the way 
American municipalities should be built. He brought to 
the task a well-stored and lofty mind and a great heart. 

Robert Gunn Bremner was born in the far north high- 
lands of Scotland on the 17th of December, 1873, the 
eldest of a large family. When a youth, with his father 
and mother and three younger brothers, he came to 
Canada. His father was engaged in the fisherj' vocation, 
and had met with financial reverses mainly through the 
loss of a ship of which he was owner and captain. 

When Canada was reached there was little money. 
But Mr. Bremner bought a farm near Orangeville, On- 
tario, and, though he knew nothing of farming to begin 
with, he succeeded. 

Tliat country home knew little of luxurj'; still it was 
pleasant and presented no hardship which family love 
and energ)^ did not easily overcome, and left no memories 
save those which were recalled with delight and trans- 
mitted with profit and pride. There in that country 
home were developed those characteristics of good na- 
ture, sympathy, liberalitj', and helpfulness which so 
characterized his later life. 

Robert attended the near-by school and went to the 
high school in Orangeville, of which Mr. Alexander 
Steele was, and still is, principal, where he boarded with 

[31] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Bremxek 

a Mrs. McQuarrie and chummed with her son, John, who 
is now a prominent physician in Chicago. At school he 
was a good student and took great interest in atliletics, 
but even a deeper interest in the various literary organi- 
zations of the school. When Robert graduated from the 
high school he taught in the primary department of the 
home school, where later he taught as principal. In 1893 
he went to New York City. 

At this period times were anything but good and oppor- 
tunities for employment were not nearly so ijlentiful as 
the applicants for positions, yet the sti'anger, whose only 
letter of recommendation was a winning smile, did not 
find it diificult to secure the work that he needed so badlj-. 
The very day of his arrival in New York he dropped in at 
the rooms of the Manhattan Single Tax Club, and there 
found the tide in his fortunes had turned. 

As those who were acquainted with Robert G. Bremner 
know, his interest in the single-tax idea was deeper than 
the casual reader of his paper might suspect. Occasion- 
ally he referred to those theories, editorially or in the 
news columns of his New Jersey paper, and his treatment 
of such subjects always displayed a most friendly spirit 
for single-tax organization. Deep down in his heart he 
was persuaded that the principles advocated in " Prog- 
ress and Poverty " would prove of the greatest benefit to 
the Nation. Even as a boy Mr. Bremner was a prolific 
reader. Every book that was within his reach was 
eagerly devoured. It was while still at home in Canada 
that he became acquainted with the writings of Henry 
George, and he was one of the latter's most ardent dis- 
ciples by the time he arrived in New York. 

It was this sentimental bond that drew him to the 
rooms of the Single Tax Club, and it was the same bond 
of sympathy, the spirit of fellowship which a person 



[32] 



Address of Mr. George, of New York 

breeds in the hearts of men, that won for him so hearty 
a welcome. 

After a few months in New York City he went to 
Paterson, where he worked as newspaper reporter on the 
Evening News, Morning Call, and Press and Chronicle, 
respectively, until 1902, when he purchased the Passaic 
Daily Herald. By strenuous work he succeeded in mak- 
ing the Herald a paper of influence extending far beyond 
his own city. 

Mr. Bremner was active in the Democratic Party from 
the first time he cast his vote. He created new life in 
the party in Passaic, and from the first year he arrived 
in this city he was looked up to as a political leader who 
inspired. He never sought political office for himself, 
and frequently declined attractive political offers and 
ignored suggestions that he accept nominations for office. 

When the time came, however, for nominating candi- 
dates for tlie Democratic national convention at Balti- 
more, in 1912, Mr. Bremner favored the nomination of 
Woodrow Wilson. His great admiration for Wilson 
caused him to break the rule he had adhered to up to 
that time. Mr. Bremner and Senator Hughes were 
elected district delegates, and Mr. Bremner, although ill, 
was one of the most active spirits in the interest of 
Woodrow Wilson in that convention. His activitj' is best 
told by State Senator HinchliflTe, who was one of the dele- 
gates at large from New Jersey in the convention : 

No one at Baltimore — 

Senator Hinchliffe said — 

was stronger or steadier than Bob. He fought not to offend or 
injure, but for the real pleasure it gave him. He had a keen sense 
for seeing an advantage and a keen sense for following it up. 
He had more underground passages, more inside information, 
than anv man at the convention. 



[33] 



Memorial Addeiesses : Representative Bremner 

There was no man in Baltimore who after two days at the con- 
vention could call by their first names so many men from Cali- 
fornia to Maine — and they all called him by his. 

Following that convention the question as to who would 
be the most available candidate for the Democratic nomi- 
nation for Congress in the newly created seventh district, 
comprising all Passaic County excepting West Milford 
and Pompton, was discussed by the Democratic leaders. 

The unanimous opinion was that Bob Bremner could 
lead the party to victory and at the same time help swell 
the vote for Woodrow Wilson. 

In the primaries Mr. Bremner was practically the 
unanimous choice of the Democratic voters of the district, 
and immediately he began a campaign that aroused 
interest from one end of the district to tlie other. 

But the most notable tribute paid to Mr. Bremner was 
the vote in Passaic. Although the city was always 
strongly Republican and some of the districts had only 
a " corporal's guard " of Democratic votes, Mr. Bremner 
carried everj^ one of the 16 districts. 

"I feel more proud of that than I do of my election," 
Mr. Bremner commented when he had the complete 
returns. 

His interest in congressional work in Washington was 
not lessened by his intense phj'sical sufferings, and all 
who met him marveled at his cheery smile and determi- 
nation to make the best possible use of what he well real- 
ized to be a brief time to remain here. 

On Christmas Day, 1913, when he went to Baltimore to 
the hospital to take treatment, he was accompanied by 
his sister, Miss Helen, and Dr. Horwitz. He was bright 
and happy, and his hopeful nature was an inspiration. 
For several weeks his sister was the only one allowed to 
be with him, and she cared for his ofTice affairs as well 
as devoting herself personally to his nursing from the 

[34] 



Address of Mr. George, of New York 

time he entered Dr. Kelly's sanitarium until his death. 
His brother. Will, upon whose advice he had always 
relied, gave up his studies in Toronto Universitj' to be 
with him in Baltimore and assist his sister. To them 
the stricken man talked of his hope of recovery, his 
intense desire to do more efficient congressional work 
which he expected to do when freed from his physical 
weakness and pain; but, aside from these yearnings, he 
cheerfully awaited the end. 

When his physicians informed him that he could not 
live, he was still inveterate. He talked with strong faith 
and beautiful resignation. His thoughts returned to the 
dear ones at home, especially his mother and sister, 
Nina; but he would not call them to his bedside to harrow 
them with the sight of his suffering. Nothing in all that 
noble life was finer than its close. In the last hours he 
had his devoted sister read to him his many favorite 
passages of Scripture and he repeated hymns learned in 
his youth. 

Robert Grxx Bremxer thus passed in the flesh. 

His legislative work was brief, but his lofty spirit and 
brave example will long continue to be a cherished heri- 
tage of this House. 



[35] 



Address of Mr. BrowninGj of New Jersey 

Mr. Speaker: On "fair Scotland's strand," away up on 
the North Sea, we go back only to the year 1873, when 
"Bob" Bremner was born; he came of sturdy and steady 
fisher folk. His short life period is replete with the kind 
of struggles which only the truly brave and heroic 
character can make successfuUj'. 

When Robert Bremner was a lad his father emigrated 
to Canada, and the joung son's work began as a school- 
boy in a village school; after some years in the high 
and normal schools he was found teaching for a short 
time; then, reaching out for the practical, he mastered 
the carpentering trade and later engaged as an electrical 
worker. Ripe with theoretical and practical experience, 
it is not surprising that in his newspaper work he very 
soon found himself in the forerank of editors, and his 
friends paid him a high tribute when they sought to utilize 
his varied and splendid talents by electing him to repre- 
sent them in Congress. 

It was not my good fortune to know Mr. Bremner be- 
fore he entered this House, but my first impression of him 
was one never to be forgotten. I beheld the countenance 
of a man suffering all the tortures that physical pain can 
inflict, and I saw over and above the expression of phys- 
ical distress that rare smile revealing a nobility of char- 
acter, intelligence, patience, and even sympathy, which 
told me that I had met an able, strong, and loyal brother 
worthy of the friendship and love of his colleagues and 
countrymen. His wonderful patience and sublime forti- 
tude in the very face of death can be dwelt upon only 
with admiration and envy by the legion of his friends. 



[36] 



Address of Mr. Browning, of New Jersey 

It is not given us to understand why he, who was so 
full of energy' and courage, should be called away. We 
can onlj' realize the loss of his companionship which was 
dear to us, the loss to the conimunitj' to which he was so 
useful, and the loss to those whose heartbreaking grief 
we hesitate to intrude upon. 

You shall shortly know that lengthened breath 

Is not the sweetest gift God sends His friend, 
And that sometimes the sable pall of death 

Conceals the fairest boon His love can send. 
If we could push ajar the gates of life 

And stand within, and all God's workings see. 
We could interpret all this doubt and strife 

And for each mystery could find a key. 



[37] 



Proceedings in the Senate 

Friday, February 6, 191^. 

A message from the House of Representatives, by J. C. 
South, its Chief Clerk, communicated to tlie Senate tlie 
intelligence of the death of Hon. Robert Gcnn Bremner, 
late a Representative fi'om the State of New Jersey, and 
transmitted resolutions of the House thereon. 

The Vice President. The Chair lays before the Senate 
resolutions of the House of Representatives, which will 
be read. 

The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows : 

In the House of Representatives, February 5, 1914. 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorroAV of 
the death of Hon. Robert Gunn Bremner, a Representative from 
the State of New Jersey. 

Resolved, That a committee of the House, with such Members 
of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to attend tlie funeral. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant at Arms of the House be authorized 
and directed to take such steps as may be necessary for carrying 
out the provisions of these resolutions, and that the necessary 
expenses in connection therewith be paid out of the contingent 
fund of the House. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

Mr. Hughes. I offer the resolutions wliich I send to the 
desk, and ask unanimous consent for their present con- 
sideration. 

The resolutions were read, considered by unanimous 
consent, and unanimously agreed to, as follows: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow the 
announcement of the death of Hon. Robert Gunn Bremner, late 
a Representative from the State of New Jersey. 

[39] 



Memorial Audresses: Representative Bremner 

Resolved, That a committee of six Senators be appointed by the 
Vice President, to join a committee appointed by the House of 
Representatives, to take order for the superintending of the 
funeral of Mr. Bremner at Passaic, N. J. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these 
resolutions to the House of Representatives. 

The Vice President appointed under the second resohi- 
tion as the committee on the part of the Senate Mr. 
Martine of New Jersey, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Vardaman, Mr. 
Hollis, Mr. Clapp, and Mr. Sterling. 

Mr. Hughes. Mr. President, I desire to give notice that 
at a future day I shall ask the Senate to set aside a time 
in which to consider resolutions on the life and public 
services of Representative Bremner. As a further mark 
of respect to the memory of the deceased, I move that the 
Senate adjourn. 

The motion was unanimously agreed to; and (at 5 
o'clock and 55 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
to-morrow, Saturday, February 7, 1914, at 12 o'clock m. 



[40] 



FUNERAL SERVICES 
[From the Paterson (N. J.) Guardian of Feb. 9, 1914] 

All that is mortal of Robert Gunn Bremner is reposing in a 
new-made grave in Laurel Grove Cemetery. Upon the mound 
floral tributes send out their fragrance and seemingly waft per- 
fume on the winds to every portion of Passaic County. It is a 
most fitting incense. The scent of the tender blossoms will soon 
fade, but not so the memory of the man laid away with such 
impressive ceremony and service to-day. The funeral was to all 
intents a civic one, and never since the obsequies of Garret A. 
Hobart has such an assemblage paid its tribute to the dead in 
this country. Millionaire, workman, statesman, merchant, soldier, 
and citizen alike touched elbows in their tribute to the man every- 
one had to but simply know to love and respect. 

The home city of the man was not by any means the dominant 
one in sorrow, for great as was the loss of the man to Passaic, 
he was equally endeared to Patersonians — in fact, to all in the 
State. As the funeral cortege wended its way to the city of the 
dead there was a solid phalanx of humanity lining the sidewalks 
from the Lexington Avenue home to Laurel Grove Cemetery, a 
distance of 7 miles. 

It is estimated that more than 8,000 persons called at the 
Bremner home since Saturday to look on the face of one they had 
learned to love as a personal friend. The body reposed in a solid 
mahogany casket. In the right hand of the late Congressman was 
clasped a small bouquet of orchids and lilies of the valley. Rest- 
ing on the casket was an immense wreath composed of lavender 
orchids, white carnations, violets, and ferns. It bore the cards of 
the President and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. To one side was a 
cluster of orchids and white roses, the tribute of Joseph P. 
Tumulty. A magnificent wreath of white roses and mauve sweet 
peas was the beautiful tribute to the Congressman from the inti- 
mate friends of Miss Helen Bremner in Washington. On all sides 
were banked flowers from national. State, county, and city ofii- 
cials, as well as from personal friends and relatives of the late 



[41] 



Memorial Addkesses : Representative Bremner 

Congressman. Among the larger floral pieces that surrounded 
the casket were ones from the New Jersey delegation to Congress, 
the Committee on the District of Columbia, the House of Repre- 
sentatives, Passaic Board of Trade, Paterson Board of Trade, 
Passaic post-office emplo\'ees, Paterson post-office employees, the 
Pica Club, the Robert G. Bremner Democratic Club, the Daughters 
of Scotia, the Caledonia Society, the Irish-American Literary Club, 
Herald employees, Walter W. Vick, Senator Hinchliffe, Mrs. Alfred 
Terhune, Mr. and Mrs. William Dill, Mrs. Kyles, Orangeville, On- 
tario; Anton Peterson, Henry C. Allen, Clan McLean Lodge, and 
hundreds of intimate friends. 

The congressional delegation arrived from Washington at 1 
o'clock. It included the following: United States Senators 
Hughes, Marline, Hollis, Vardaman, Clapp, and Sterling, and 
Congressmen William J. Browning, J. Thompson Baker, Thomas 
J. Scully, Allen B. Walsh, William E. Tuttle, jr., Eugene F. Kin- 
kead, Walter J. McCoy, Edward W. Townsend, John J. Eagan, 
James A. Hamill, Ben Johnson, William A. Ashbrook, Henry 
George, jr., Solomon F. Prouty, Simon D. Fess, Abraham T. 
Keister, Robert F. Broussard, Samuel Wallin, Samuel E. Winslow, 
and Robert Grosser. 

President Wilson, who had intended being present, was unable 
to come, as important affairs made it impossible for him to leave 
Washington. A message to this effect from Private Secretary 
Joseph P. Tumulty was received by the family this morning. 

Gov. Fielder and party arrived from Trenton at the same time 
as the congressional delegation from Washington. From 11 
o'clock to-day by rail and automobile came persons of promi- 
nence. 

Mr. Bremner's mother and his sister. Miss Nina, arrived this 
morning from Orangeville, Canada, accompanied by several 
family friends. Mrs. Bremner had been with her son in Wash- 
ington until he left for the Baltimore sanitarium, and while 
he very often said he would like to have her and his sister 
Nina with him, yet he would not have them see him suffer, and 
in his characteristic unselfishness would not have them sent for. 
The other members of his family present were his sister Helen; 
Rev. Walter Bremner, of Richmond, Va.; Dr. Murray Bremner, 
Toronto; Leith Bremner, Richmond; and Will, Peter, Ralph, and 
Cecil Bremner, of Orangeville, Ontario. 



[42] 



FuNER.\L Services 



The funeral service was conducted by Rev. T. B. Plummer, 
Presbyterian minister of Springfield, Mass., an intimate friend of 
the deceased. Mr. Bremner had arranged several weeks previous 
to his death his own funeral service, beautiful in its simplicity. 
The service he arranged was as follows: Singing of the familiar 
Gospel hymn, learned in his youth and repeated many times 
during his illness: 

O, 'twas love, 'twas wondrous love, 

The love of God to me; 
It brought my Saviour from above 

To die on Calvary. 

Reading of Twenty-third Psalm and remarks by the minister on 
this passage of Scripture; prayer, and singing of another favorite 
hymn — 

0, God of Bethel, by whose hand 

Thy people still are fed, 
^^^lo through this weary pilgrimage 

Hast all our fathers led. 

spread Thy sheltering wings around 

Till all our wanderings cease. 
And at our Father's loved abode 

Our souls arrive in peace. 

He also arranged that " Safe in the Arms of Jesus " be sung at 
the grave. 

Mr. Plummer delivered the following eulogy: 

"On several occasions Mr. Bremner spoke to me about taking 
charge of his funeral services, for, of course, he realized that the 
time would not be far distant when he must pass within the veil. 
Always, when making reference to this matter, he has urged me 
to make my remarks not only as simple as possible, but par- 
ticularly did he desire that I should speak briefly, so you see that 
Brother Bremner had his friends in mind up to the last moment, 
and you are to thank him for this forethought on his part, for 
he did not propose that there should be any drawn-out discourse 
to weary and distress his friends. I am free to confess that if I 
were not thus limited by his instructions I would take the oppor- 
tunity to say things concerning what President Wilson has so well 
expressed when he remarked of him in connection with his de- 
mise that a beautiful spirit had departed from the world. This 
funeral sermon, however, will be the briefest funeral discourse 
concerning a beloved friend that was ever delivered. I recall 



[43] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Bremner 



some little time ago spending an evening at Mr. Bremner's home 
with one or two other friends when the subject under considera- 
tion was the Twenty-third Psalm. Let me read this psalm: 

"'The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me 
to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside still waters; 
He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness 
for His name's sake; yea, though I walk through the valley of 
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. 
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me; Thou prepares! a table 
before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my 
head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy 
shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the 
house of the Lord forever.' 

"Mr. Bremner and his wife had on several occasions spent a 
Sunday with us at the manse. He eagerly discussed the sermon, 
and I always felt that if no one else occupied the pews, he was in 
himself a most stimulating congregation. 

"Let me bring to you but a word of comfort and counsel from 
this expression of the psalm: 'Though I walk through the valley 
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with 
me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.' 

"The reference to the valley is both a poetical and literal state- 
ment of the human life. We find ourselves in a narrow fissure, 
and on either side are the precipitous mountains. We can not 
go back to explore the mysteries of the eternity that is beyond. 
We are living in the valley, and we can not know about the beauty 
of the glorious table-lands of the eternity of the past and the 
eternity of the future. Amidst all the perplexities and troubles of 
the valley life, the Good Shepherd is the guide not only to care 
for the good sheep, but with even gi-eater solicitude to seek after 
the lost sheep and shelter him safely within the fold. And the 
Good Shepherd tells us that He is more interested in the one lost 
sheep than in the ninety and nine who do not need salvation. 

"My word of counsel to all the friends here assembled is based 
upon the wise statement of Solomon — that it is better to go to the 
house of mourning than to the house of feasting, for the living 
will lay it to heart. Suffer, then, this word of exhortation that 
you give heed to the invitation and the care of the Good Shepherd 
that he may safely bring you to the heavenly fold. And so for 
all now here present and for myself as well, I bid farewell to 
my dear old friend, and where I can not see I neither guess nor 
fear, for I believe that through the great Saviour who brings us 
back to Himself through His sufferings we shall meet, as the 
little hymns expressed it, ' on that beautiful shore.' " 



[44] 



TRIBUTES 
By Personal Friends 

By President Wilson : 

" I am deeply grieved by the death of ' Bob ' Bremner. He was 
a personal friend, whom I greatly admired, and was such a man 
as attracts deep affection. Throughout his suffering, which was 
long continued, he seemed never to think of himself, as he cer- 
tainly never spoke of himself, and he was throughout as keenly 
interested in the diligent performance of his public duties and 
in kindly offices to others as if he had been free from pain. I 
feel that a beautiful spirit has gone out of the world." 

The President sent the following telegram to Mrs. Bremner at 
the residence of Dr. Kelly, in Baltimore: 

"Allow me to express my deep sympathy with you. I feel for 
myself I have lost a dear and admirable friend." 

Mr. Joseph P. Tumulty, Secretary to the President, made this 
statement after showing President Wilson the telegram announc- 
ing Mr. Bremxer's demise: 

" Like all who knew ' Bob ' Bremner, I had a deep admiration 
and aiTection for him. He was a man, and he has never come to 
this office on a selfish mission. He always came in the interest 
of some one wanting help." 

By Senator Marline, of New Jersey: 

" Racked by pain, tortured with an ailment that was eating his 
very life away, ' Smiling Bob ' smiled to the last. His warm, 
sunny disposition was a contagion by which all who came in 
contact with him were inoculated. The merry twinkle of his 
eye, the warm grasp of his hand, made one feel assured of his 
big heart, and were successful in dispelling the blues if one had 
them. 

" I first met poor Bremner in Paterson, where I had gone to 
speak during the first Bryan campaign. He was fairly wrapped 
up in the issues of that contest. His zeal with tongue and 
trenchant pen was used to press his conscientious thoughts and 
convictions. 

[45] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Bremner 

" He often said to me, ' I feel that my mission in life is to help 
humanity.' This thought is most marked throughout his political 
life. His last effort in Congress was, in conjunction with Repre- 
sentative Mann, to draft and present to the House a bill to safe- 
guard the toiler against accident. This measure passed the House 
unanimously but unfortunately failed in the Senate. 

"While a patient at the hospital in Baltimore I visited him a 
number of times. As I now think of him, his patient suffering 
was wonderful. The much-discussed radium cure was being tried 
on him. He did not hesitate to talk of his malady and frequently 
said, ' Well, even if it does not cure me some other unfortunate 
fellow will benefit from my trial of it.' 

"President Wilson was much attracted by his splendid quali- 
ties and sent flowers to him each day from the \ATiite House 
conservatory. 

"At parting on my last visit to the hospital he insisted I should 
take some roses and ' tell the boys, though in distress. Bob can 
smile yet.' What an example to those of us who are left after him. 

"A truthful soul, a loving mind, 
Full of affection for its kind; 
A helper of the human race, 
A soul of beauty and of grace." 

By Senator Hughes, of New Jersey: 

" Robert Gunn Bremner was perhaps the best friend I ever 
had. The first time we met there were planted the seeds of a 
friendship which flourished at once and grew stronger as the 
years went by. He was one of those who gave all and asked for 
little. In all the years of our companionship I never knew him 
to discuss a care or trouble of his own, yet no concern of any 
friend of his was too trivial to call forth his sympathy and a 
tender of his aid. Like the Spartan boy whose entrails were 
being devoured by the fox, he gave no sign of his agony to the 
world, but smiled and smiled his way through life as if fate's 
hardest buffets in the short span of earthly existence were to be 
treated as temporary inconveniences, to be ignored and for- 
gotten in the vision of the gi^eat possibilities which the future 
laid before his imaginative mind. 

"There was sunshine in his heart which leaped from his eyes 
during every moment of his existence, and when the film of death 



[46] 



Tributes 

obscured those laughing orbs one could not doubt but that some- 
where it was still alight and would forever shine on and on. 

" Robert G. Bremner went to his grave mourned by everyone 
who had the good fortune to come in contact with him. A busy 
Nation ceased for a moment its headlong pursuit of material 
things and bowed its head in mute appreciation of his courage 
and unselfishness. The lesson of his life will not be lost on those 
who had the right to call themselves his friends. 

"As a soldier he was the idol of his company. His tent was the 
central station from which was diffused life and laughter. No 
situation was somber enough to drive the smile from his lips. 
Disease and death were held at bay by a joyous optimism which 
declined to be oppressed by pain and suffering but sought always 
for the silver lining of the cloud. 

"As an editor he enjoyed, more fully than any man I have ever 
come in contact with, the love, respect, and confidence of the 
community in which he resided. The Passaic Daily Herald, 
which he built up into a powerful and successful publication, 
was known throughout the State and far beyond its confines as 
' Bob's paper.' 

" His editorial word was law to thousands of its readers. His 
commendation was eagerly sought and as freely conferred upon 
those whom Bremner believed to have the welfare of the Com- 
monwealth at heart. So intimate was the relation existing be- 
tween the Herald and its readers that it entered into their daily 
lives and ordinary doings to an extent that I have never seen 
approached by any other journal. 

" He never cared for public office, but there was none that he 
might not have held. It was only by dint of the hardest per- 
suasion that he finally permitted his name to be used as a candi- 
date for the office of Representative in Congress, to which place 
he was elected by a veritable outpouring of those who knew and 
loved him. 

"And so, Mr. President, as soldier, editor, and legislator, friend 
and comrade, ' Bob ' Bremner did his duty as he saw it. He did 
each day, with all his power and ability, the thing that he found 
at his hand. He brightened the lives of the thousands whom he 
met in his short journey through this world. He died at last a 
hero's death, the circumstances of which caused the tears of a 
Nation to mingle with those of the members of his family. We 
shall not soon look upon his like again." 

[47] 



Memorl\l Addresses: Representative Bremner 

By Representative Kinkead, of New Jersey: 

"During the years that I have been in Congress 100 or more 
Representatives died in office, but never have I heard such wide- 
spread sorrow expressed as for the death of Congressman Robert 
G. Bremner. 

" His wonderful breadth of sympathy, his devotion to the 
interests of those whom he so ably represented, and his bright, 
happy disposition endeared him to every man in the Sixty-third 
Congress who was fortunate enough to know him. During the 
months that he was suffering most from the affliction that caused 
his death he never lost his cheerful manner. A smile was ever 
present that won for him the sobriquet of ' Sunny Bob.' 

" He will be missed and mourned by many, but by none more 
sincerely than by his colleagues from New Jersey." 

By Representative Walsh, of New Jersey : 

" ' Smiling Bob ' Bbemner's name will go down in the history 
of our National Legislature as that of a man who, in the midst 
of constant and excruciating physical suffering, gave us an ex- 
ample of fortitude and unconquerable good nature. We hear a 
lot about the ' brotherhood ' of man, but it is not often in actual 
life we have the pleasure of knowing a man in whom the spirit 
of genuine brotherhood is so big and warm that he is eager and 
anxious under circumstances which you know exist to devote 
time and energy devising means for promoting the well-being of 
the vast army of American workers, as did ' Bob ' Bremner on 
his safety and sanitation bill." 

By Representative Townsend, of New Jersey: 

" ' Bob ' Bremner, as he was affectionately known by nearly 
every Member of the House, had the sunniest disposition I have 
ever observed in any man. Such a cheery, hearty, generous soul 
would have been remarked if it dwelt in the robust body of a 
man upon whom Providence had showered every physical good 
fortune. In a man so sorely afflicted in body as was poor, dear 
old ' Bob ' it was an amazement, as it was a delight. 

" He made friends rapidly. He did so much good work on his 
important Committee on the District of Columbia that the com- 
mittee, being in session when word came of Bremner's death, at 
once adjourned. Then the members of the committee instructed 
Henry George, one of the members, to send for the committee a 

[48] 



Tributes 



rich floral piece. The New Jersey delegation will do the same, as 
will the entire membership of the House. 

" He was a fine man. He had a great career before him. God 
rest his soul." 

By Representative Tuttle, of New Jersey : 

" I consider ' Bob ' Bremner one of the most lovable and re- 
markable characters I ever met. His death is a distinct loss to 
the State and to the House of Representatives." 

By Representative McCoy, of New Jersey : 

" In the death of our friend and colleague the House loses an 
able Member and the State one of her best beloved Representa- 
tives. Personally, I feel sincere sorrow and the deepest sympathy 
for ' Bob's ' family in their great loss." 

By Attorney General John W. Wescott, of New Jersey : 
" I am unable to let the hour pass in silence. It was said of 
the death of Confucius, ' It affects us as if some lone planet had 
rolled off the flaming walls of the universe and dropped into 
the night.' Of the demise of ' Bob ' Bremner it must be said 
that it affects us as if some new star of hope and beauty had 
arisen eternally in the firmament. ' Bob ' Bremner lives more 
mightily in his death than he did in his life. As a living man, 
like the mysterious agent applied to save him, he gave to all the 
curative power of love and charity and kindness and beauty. 
As a like mysterious agency, even in death, he makes all men 
better, stronger, braver, purer. I never knew a more real man. 
Struggle how we may to reach the right, to do the right, our 
common infirmities disclose our inability to even approximate 
perfection. But the very physical frailty of this singular man 
seems to have endowed him with moral perfection. 'NMiile the 
problem presented by his career furnishes a wide field for 
speculation, the certainty, about which all men must agree, is 
that Bremner was an angel on earth. No one ever knew him 
in the latter years of his life without the sense of the perfect and 
the divine. Account for it how we may, we are forced to admit 
that his life was the doorway to eternal righteousness, his soul 
the indestructible truth which, sooner or later, will make all men, 
like him, morally perfect. 

" I send to his bier my tears, while he sends to the world his 
cheer, his courage, his moral character." 

GOSS-"— 15 4 [49] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Bremner 



By Mayor George N. Seger, of Passaic, N. J. : 

" In the death of Congressman Robert G. Bremner the com- 
munity loses not only a good citizen but an unselfish, untiring 
worker for all that pertained to its upbuilding and uplifting. 

" None except those who came in personal touch with him 
realize how deeply he was interested in the welfare of his fellow 
men, and that he has not gone to the great beyond, afflicted as he 
was, long before now was due entirely to his great will power 
and an unfaltering faith in Him who shapes all our destinies, the 
Supreme Architect of the Universe. 

"As a mark of respect which this community owes ' Bob * 
Bremner, I have ordered the flags lowered on all public buildings 
throughout the city." 

By State Senator Charles O'Connor Hennessy, of New Jersey: 

" I ask the privilege of joining with those who would pay the 
sad tribute of respect and love to the memory of Robert G. 
Bremner, the splendid citizen who passed out of this to another 
life yesterday. I was honored with his friendship, and less than 
two weeks ago it was my privilege to sit for an hour at his bed- 
side in Baltimore and to be inspired by his marvelous patience 
and cheerfulness under great pain and in the face of what I 
believe he must have known was the approach of the mortal end. 

" He was truly brave and good, and he won to himself a multi- 
tude of men of high and low degree by the simple magic of loving 
all humanity and inspiring love in return. He felt the miseries 
and misfortunes of his fellow men, and was deeply learned in 
the true statesmanship that would seek for the removal of the 
institutional causes rather than the effects of poverty and crime 
in our centers of population. 

"Had he lived for 10 years longer I believe his voice and pen 
would have profoundly affected the current of political thought 
in his home city and in the State and Nation. 

" He has gone away not to return in this life, but his big heart, 
his gentle voice, his sweet smile, and his sunny spirit will be long 
remembered by thousands of men, women, and children whose 
lives have been brightened and bettered because ' Bob ' Bremner 
lived." 



[50] 



Tributes 

By Gen. Bird W. Spencer, of Passaic: 

" I have known Mr. Bremner ever since he came to Passaic, 
and I early learned to admire his many fine traits of character, 
the most prominent of which appeared to me to be his sterling 
integrity and his unwavering opposition to crookedness in public 
life. 

" He did not agree with me in everything that I thought was 
for the best interests of the city, but his opposition was honest 
and arose from his loyalty to some of his old friends whom I 
was unable to reappoint to office. Notwithstanding his criticisms 
we remained always the best of friends. 

" I can not say that he was always a good adviser, because, to 
be truthful, it must be said that he was greatly swayed by personal 
friendship, and at times stood by his friends because they were 
friends, without always being worthy of his cordial support. 

" There was a good deal of the ' happy-go-lucky ' about ' Bob ' 
Bremxer, and there was very little about him which took account 
of the future. After all is said and done, however, it must be 
said of him that his virtues greatly outweighed any shortcomings 
because of these peculiar characteristics. 

" The general optimism with which he went through the last 
few years of his life was an inspiration, and it seems incredible 
that a man suff"ering as he did could always present a happy 
general exterior. 

" The amount of work which he did under the terrible stress 
of his disease is not the least of the commendable characteristics 
of the man. The newspaper fraternity has lost a peer and the 
people of Passaic a wholesome champion of all that is good in 
civic government. 

" It is well that all is over and ' Bob ' has joined the great ma- 
jority at the zenith of his career, a leader of the newspaper 
fraternity and the Congressman of his district." 

By James Parker, late captain Company C, New Jersey Volun- 
teer Infantry: 

"As one of a whole community that has been saddened by the 
death of Congressman Bobert G. Bremner, which ended one of 
the most valiant fights against the inroads of a dread disease that 
a human being could wage, I wish to pay my humble tribute of 
respect and aff'ection to the memory of the man whose taking 



[51] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Bremner 

away will be fell as a distinct personal loss by all with whom he 
came in contact. 

" It had been my privilege to know ' Bob ' Bremner, as he was 
afTectionately called by all who knew him, for nearly 20 years. 
During all that period his life was an open book to a very large 
portion of the people of Passaic County. He was ever the genial, 
open-hearted, sympathetic, patient, whole-souled 'Bob,' strong in 
his friendship and tolerant and charitable in the broader sense to 
his enemies, if, indeed, it can be said that he had a real enemy. 

"Now that he has been called to his last reward, it is my pur- 
pose to advert to a period of his career which,, perhaps, is not so 
familiar to many of his friends as were some of his other activi- 
ties. I refer to his service in the Second New Jersey Volunteer 
Infantry during a portion of the year 1898, when the regiment was 
encamped at Seagirt, N. J., and at Jacksonville, Fla., awaiting 
orders in the Spanish-American War. ' Bob ' Bremner had not 
been a member of the militia before war was declared, and with 
characteristic patriotism he was one of the first recruits to be 
enrolled in Company C, which the writer had the honor to com- 
mand. His unfailing cheerfulness, his willingness to do whatever 
asked to do, and his ability made him an ideal man for company 
clerk, which position he assumed at my request and filled with 
credit to himself and the company. He was a tent mate of Maj. 
John Nolan, then first sergeant, now commanding the First 
Battalion of our home regiment of the National Guard. 

" When men are thrown constantly together day by day for 
weeks and months, sleeping on the ground, so to speak, and not 
knowing what day or hour they may be ordered into action, 
it is then, if ever, that one has an opportunity of judging the 
fiber of which men are made, of recognizing the virtues they 
possess, and realizing their shortcomings, if they have any. With 
this experience as my basis, I say from my heart that never have 
I met a more manly man than 'Bob' Bremner; never have I 
encountered a more delightful combination of those sterling 
qualities which make a man beloved by his fellows, and now that 
his enlistment in the great army of the universe has expired, and 
he has been enrolled in that other great army, to the will of whose 
Commander we must all bow when orders are issued, I sincerely 
hope and trust that he will meet with that sweet repose and 
contentment he so justly merited." 



[52] 



Tributes 

By New Jersey Newspapers 
[The Passaic Herald] 

" It is an impious thing to lament for those whose souls pass 
immediately into a better and more divine state." 

Perhaps it is as Plutarch tells us, but none who knew Bob 
Bremner, knew him as intimately as the writer has known him 
since he came among us as a stranger 19 years ago, can help 
lament because death has taken him from us. The personal loss 
is great, indeed, for of him it may well be said — 

" None knew thee but to love thee. 
Nor named thee but to praise," 

but greater by far is the loss to humanity. Bob Bremner had 
given his life to the public service with a devotion and self- 
sacrifice that convinced those familiar with his work and with 
his efforts in behalf of humanity that public service was part of 
his religion. This may best be illustrated by quoting him as he 
lay in the hospital in Baltimore sufl'ering the most excruciating 
pain from the effects of the radium treatment. 

" My life," he said, " is not worth one-tenth of the effort that 
has been put forth to save it. I am ready for the scrap heap, but 
I feel the cutting and the doctoring have added to the knowledge 
of how best to fight cancer. Some poor soul who comes after 
may benefit. 

" The question is not whether I am going to get well or not, 
but rather if I am going to live up to ideals under tests, for dying 
gamely is just as helpful to the race as living bravely. 

" Some day science will conquer cancer, and I think I would 
rather be in the category of those who were in the fight and 
helped win the victory than to be one of those to placidly reap 
the benefit." 

And this was typical of the frail but heroic man whose death 
from cancer, after three years of intense suffering, we record 
to-day. 

The personal side of Bob Bremner as thus indicated reflected 
his creed as a public man. During the 12 years he was editor 
of the Passaic Daily Herald and during his brief career as a 



[53] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Bremner 



Member of the United States Congress he battled for those ideals 
which he believed would promote the happiness and welfare of 
his fellow man, and to all of these conflicts he brought extraordi- 
nary mental qualities, a powerful mind, inspiring logic, and 
reasoning power of the highest order. 

None knew better than the people of his own city and county 
the fighting caliber of " Bob " Bremner. He faced his foes when 
they challenged him to combat, and he was a foeman worthy of 
any man's steel. He fought with unbending courage, asking no 
quarter and giving none. The conflict over, he bore himself a 
true knight in all his many victories. And this was one of the 
secrets of his remarkable popularity. Even his enemies were 
his friends, paradoxical as that statement may seem. It may be 
said, indeed, that he was without an enemy. His fighting armor 
laid aside, he was the apostle of sunshine, the embodiment of 
good cheer, the foe of pessimism, the supreme optimist who saw 
only the best in everyone. Passing from the field of local and 
county affairs into the wider field of national affairs, Bob Bremner 
carried with him the spirit of progress without the characteristic 
of the demagogue too often found these days among our states- 
men of national prominence. 

He was not of the class of statesmen who sought to dazzle with 
rallying cries and watchwords. He preferred cool, untrammeled 
reasoning and a logical justification of the faith that was in him. 
He had no patience with the many strange and false prophets 
abroad in the land with their vague and grotesque theories or 
with the demagogue carrying his kit of panaceas. He believed 
that there was bred into this Nation a self-governing and states- 
manlike instinct which rejects the spurious and holds fast to the 
genuine. He recognized the desire to remedy wrongs, but be- 
lieved the remedy could not be applied by running past the 
danger signals. He was a firm believer in the old nationalism, 
the nationalism of the fathers and founders who brought forth 
on this continent a Nation dedicated to the proposition that all 
men were born free and equal. This was the faith he carried 
with him to Washington. 

Although suffering night and day from the affliction that 
finally forced him to give up life's struggle, " Bob " Bremner 
worked with tireless energy to serve the public from the day 



[54] 



Tributes 

he took ofDce, and there are few of his constituents who did not 
hear from him personally. 

The tariff bill out of the way, "Bob" Bremner began work on 
a bill in the interest of every man and woman who toils in the 
mills and factories and mines. It is known as "A bill to estab- 
lish a bureau of industrial safety." Its purpose was to erect a 
national museum of safety for the establishment of devices and 
methods for the protection of the worker, and to maintain in 
connection therewith a laboratory for the investigation of indus- 
trial disease and means for its prevention. 

Less than two weeks ago, when life was ebbing fast, despite 
the optimistic reports of his condition sent from Baltimore, 
" BoR " Bremner dictated a long report describing the advantages 
of such a law. With a restless brain and a burning desire to 
accomplish what he had in view he could not be denied, and his 
interest in that bill never stopped until his heart ceased to beat. 
It was a fitting close to a life dedicated to the interest of humanity. 

" Bob " Bremner's career, his achievements, are valuable ex- 
amples to hold up to the young men of to-day who are struggling 
against adverse environment. He was born poor — poor in the 
worldly sense; poor as Milton says in the "tool of fools," but 
rich in soul and brains and hope and courage and that never- 
say-die spirit. Nineteen years ago he was penniless and un- 
known. He had only his own pluck, his own energy, and his 
own unfailing optimism to carry him along, and step by step he 
climbed the ladder of success — success as measured by the good 
he accomplished and the place he held in the hearts of the 
people — until he reached a point to which it has been the good 
fortune of few men to ascend. 

What finer example could there be to the struggling youth of 
this Nation, or to the honest and ambitious youth who comes 
from other shores to this land of golden opportunity? 

Of him it can truly be said, " His life was gentle, and the 
elements so mix'd in him, that Nature might stand up and say to 
all the world, ' This was a man! ' " He rests from his labors well, 
efficiently, and faithfully performed for good, and the benedic- 
tions of his works will remain and follow him. With peace to 
his ashes and rest to his soul, we say farewell. 

" Bob " Bremner is no more in the flesh, but his name will long 
live on the tablets of loving memory. 

J. J. O'R. 

[55] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Bremner 



[The Paterson Press] 

Robert G. Bremner, affectionately and truthfully known as 
" Smiling Bob," passed away this morning in a private sanitarium 
in Baltimore, Md., where he was taken several weeks ago for 
treatment for a distressing illness with which he had suffered for 
nearly four years. 

Perhaps no man was better known throughout Passaic County 
than Mr. Bremner. Certainly no man ever trod the streets of 
this community who had more or warmer friends. And it is not 
hard to find the reason for the universal affection in which he 
was held. " Bob " Bremner was first of all a true friend, and by 
that it must be understood that he could stand the test of real 
friendship — he did not magnify the weaknesses in his fellows, 
but threw the mantle of charity over the frailties possessed by 
those with whom he came in contact. With " Bob " Bremnek 
every man was a good fellow. He simply loved all humanity; 
his heart beat true to himself and to the rest of mankind, and 
because the milk of human kindness flowed so freely in his own 
veins he was glad to be alive, glad to mix with his fellows, and 
ever ready to cheer with the encouraging word or to help those 
in actual need with the more substantial things of life. And 
with his perennial good will and stanch friendship "Bob" 
Bremner mixed a never-failing cheery disposition. It was always 
high noon with " Bob." The sun in his life knew no setting, and 
no cloud seemed ever to darken the star of hope that gleamed 
always in the canopy of his mind. 

Many men have suffered as much physical pain as Mr. Bremner, 
but no man ever bore the tortures of the flesh with more grit and 
greater fortitude and with a more hopeful spirit than the man 
who is now no more. No one ever heard " Bob " Bremner say 
that he was not well; no man ever heard him admit that the 
battle, which so many of us knew from the beginning was to be 
hopeless, must be a losing one for him. But those of his friends 
who knew him the best and saw him the most will remember the 
picture of this man gritting his teeth with pain, while he set his 
body and his mind to the tasks that were before him, and went 
smiling on with his burden made light with his own good cheer. 
Truthfully has it been said that all of life's heroes are not to be 
found upon the field of battle. 



[56] 



Tributes 

" Bob " Bremner has left many legacies of precept and ex- 
ample to live after him, but perhaps the lesson that will remain 
fixed indelibly in the minds of those who knew him best will 
be the one that teaches us all to accept life's burdens as they are 
apportioned out, and to go through the journey here uncomplain- 
ingly, bearing them with all the fortitude and good nature that 
we can command. If " Bob " Bremxer had left no other monu- 
ment, this would be one that would perpetuate his name in glory 
and in loving memory. 

It was a tired man who laid down the battle of life in Baltimore 
to-day. To such a pilgrim along life's pathway the words of the 
Master surely have a fitting application : " Come unto me all ye 
that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 



[The Paterson Guardian] 

The end of earthly things has come for Robert Bremner. 

It is hard to put into words the hold which Robert Bremner 
has taken upon the hearts of the people of this community, where 
a considerable portion of his adult life was passed. It was here 
that he started as a newspaper reporter after leaving his home in 
Canada; it was here that he formed friendships that were lasting 
and enduring; there are hundreds of men and women in this 
community to-day who feel that their lives have been made 
brighter and better by knowing " Bob " Bremner and being able 
to read aright the splendid lesson of his life. 

Everyone who came to know Robert Bremner became his 
friend. It was impossible to resist the charm of his personality; 
his nature was a flowing fountain of cheerfulness and optimism; 
he always looked at the brighter side and his greatest pleasure 
seemed to lie in endeavor to impart some of his own cheerfulness 
to others. 

It was not because of his great physical affliction that Robert 
Bremner won the regard of all who knew him. Before his own 
time of trouble came the young man had carved out a place for 
himself in the business community by establishing himself as 
the proprietor of an extensive newspaper property in Passaic. 
He had to overcome obstacles that would have daunted most 
young men. 



[57] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Bremner 

His pathway to success was rendered doubly difficult because 
the physical blow came at a time in his business career that 
called for vigorous activity and unceasing application. Years 
ago he knew and with the help of medical science was able to 
measure the span of his life. But he never spoke of it; he was 
always quick to assure his friends that the future held hope of 
cure. 

But deep in his own heart Robert Bremner knew that he was 
stricken with mortal malady, and his bravery and cheerfulness 
in facing the grim call of destiny constitute the splendid lesson 
of his life. Knowing just what the future held in store, he re- 
solved that the closing years of his brief span should be crowded 
with endeavor for the benefit of others. 

So he cast aside the despair that would have seized most men 
under similar circumstances and devoted his last years to his 
secret purpose. In spite of great physical sufTering he worked 
hard at his chosen profession, and as a newspaper editor with 
high ideals did much for the community where he lived. He 
accepted the nomination for Congressman because he felt that it 
would give him a wider field to carry out his chosen purpose. 

If Robert Bremner's affliction had been allowed to run its 
natural course he might have lived a year or two longer; in any 
event, it is sure that he could have avoided the great suffering 
involved in attempts that were made to check the progress of a 
remarkable form of cancer that attracted international attention. 

It was not until two weeks ago that Robert Bremner revealed 
the real purpose which dominated the last years of his life, when 
he said that he was glad to suffer If the experiments made upon 
his pain-racked body would prove of future benefit to his fellow 
men. Stricken to death by a disease that has thus far baffled 
science and the known agencies of medicine, Robert Bremner 
put aside the personal question of his own suffering, and for 
several years endured physical torture in the hope that a cure 
might be found through hitherto untried treatment. 

Robert Bremner suffered in the hope that his fellow men might 
be enabled to avoid similar suffering from the dread affliction of 
cancer. His life and its lesson will be a lasting monument to his 
memory. 



[58] 



Tribctes 

[The Paterson Morning Call] 

" Bob " Bremner's dead. That's the only way to express it. 
Usually when a man dies he is referred to in solemn-sounding 
words with great dignity. Thus we shall probably be criticized 
by those who did not know the subject of this sketch for not 
referring to him as the Hon. Robert G. Bremner — the name by 
which he was known in official records. 

But — did you know " Bob " Bremner? Then you understand 
the sorrow that will follow the announcement that " Bob Brem- 
ner's dead." If you knew him, you will not want to read of any 
other man; you will not want to see it printed, "Hon. Robert G. 
Bremner." Because there was such simplicity about the man, 
such fearless frankness, you want always to remember him as 
first you knew him — as " Bob " Bremner. 

" Bob " Bremner was an unusual character — a most unusual 
one. But he was unusual in no respect more than that he was 
always " natural " — always plain " Bob " Bremner. A man of 
giant constitution, of tremendous mold of mind, in whose heart 
an unkind thought would have become so lonesome that it would 
have perished for lack of comradeship; a man whose magna- 
nimity knew no bounds, who could not have been selfish had he 
tried, who was born to serve those he called friends — " Bob " 
Bremner goes to his reward after a life in his way, whose chief 
object was ever to make the lives of others pleasant. 

" Bob " Bremner was a great man who tried not to be a great 
man. He literally fought against advancement to what the world 
calls fame. He did not despise it; he preferred comparative 
obscurity; to go about his way as he saw fit in the society of his 
fellows here in Paterson and Passaic, happy in the knowledge 
that every friend he had — and that meant every acquaintance — 
was fastened to him by the ties that knew no breaking. Had he 
desired publicity he could have obtained it. Had he desired 
political preference, it was ever knocking at his door. Had he 
desired wealth he had but to hold out his hands; it would have 
been poured into them. 

But " Bob " Bremner had no use for great wealth. It would 
have been an incumbrance to him. It would have marred his 
philosophy. It would have had to be given away, just as the 
small wealth which came to him was given away. Money, in his 
philosophy, was intended for those who would be poor without 

[59] 



Memori.\l Addresses: Ref^resentative Bremner 

it. "Bob" Bremner was rich with never a penny in his pockets — - 
richer than those who reckon wealth in this world's goods. 

His great mind grasped the issues of the day and held them 
till the last. But issues of the past were dearer to him; he loved 
to delve in history concerning other times and other people. He 
read the literature of the ancients and was familiar with their 
petty strifes and struggles. He knew the making of civilization 
in all its ramifications; had followed man from the dismal swamp 
of primitive times to his now exalted station. He knew thousands 
of men, their great emotions, past and present. And he could 
brush it all aside and meet the humblest upon a common ground, 
and add a cheerful thought to the impoverished store of him 
whose learning was indifferent. 

The vain ambitions of his fellow man he looked upon as trifles, 
and estimated them as toys for little children. For he himself 
had risen to heights from which he could look down upon them 
and place a value upon ambition. The heights above him did 
not tempt; he did not seek to gain the mountain crest. He knew 
that it was covered with the crests of snows that neither served 
nor satisfied, and so he sat himself down between those who 
toiled in the soil below and those who strove to reach the useless 
heights above, and lent a glory to the place. " Bob " Bremner's 
dead. The world is poorer than it's been since he came on earth. 



[The Paterson News] 

" The question is not whether I am going to get well, but rather 
if I am going to live up to ideals for dying gamely, which are 
just as helpful to the race as living bravely." 

A martyr and a hero is a fit characterization for Robert Gunn 
Bremner, Congressman from New Jersey, newspaper editor, and 
stoical sufferer, whose life ended in a Baltimore hospital this 
morning after a five-year fight against the ravages of a cancerous 
growth. His words printed above are a fit characterization of 
the man. 

No hero of the battle field is more entitled to the praise, the 
respect, and the admiration of his fellow men than " Bob " 
Bremner, who until the last moment kept up the courage of those 
about him, and unselfishly thought of others in spite of the agoniz- 

[60] 



Tributes 

ing pain that was fighting to rob him of consciousness and his 
very life's breath. 

For five long years " Bon " Bremner stood on the brink of the 
grave, looked in the future, into that deep, weird mystery behind 
the curtain of death and down the valley eternal, and he was 
unafraid. For five years he lived a living death, and during that 
time no man ever heard a word of complaint escape his lips; no 
man ever asked him how he felt without receiving a cheery 
response, and he won for himself a place in the hearts and the 
afTections of hundreds who were privileged to know him and 
also admired the Spartan courage. " Smiling Bob " he was called, 
and " Smiling Bob " he was. Smiling in the face of a living death, 
smiling at an inexorable fate that was eating its way through its 
cancerous agent into his very vitals, he laughed at pain and at 
distress, and he made those about him happy. If there is an 
inspiration to be found in those heroic traits of heart and mind 
that can rid death of its terror and the grave of its horror, " Bob " 
Bremner supplied that inspiration in full measure. 

When he was told that his last hope was in the radium cure, 
but that the pain would be terrific, he simply smiled and replied 
that pain held no terror for him, and that he was willing to 
suffer untold agonies and go to the grave uncomplainingly if 
those who came after him might benefit and the cause of hu- 
manity be helped by the conquering of the dread specter — cancer. 
And there was more than a promise in his words; there was the 
reality of performance, for he suffered the tortures of hell and 
never a word of complaint escaped him. 

Nineteen years ago this man of iron found his way to Paterson 
in answer to an advertisement inserted in a New York paper by 
the late Edward B. Haines, founder of the News, and his first 
employment was in the News office. The News to-day is proud 
of this — proud to know that a man such as was this one was 
one of our boys, and that he was of the fighting metal that the 
News admires and loves. 

Poor " Bor " Bremner. Our " Bob." He has gone on and be- 
yond, but his memory will be fresh and green as long as human 
hearts beat and as long as men honor courage, patriotism, self- 
sacrifice, and personal heroism. To you, " Bob," a loyal hand of 
friendship, even to the grave itself. May your soul rest in peace 
and quiet unto eternity. 



[61] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Bremner 



[The Newark Evening News] 

The noblest qualities of human character are often rendered 
conspicuous by great suft'ering. This was true in the case of 
Congressman Robert G. Bremner. Many a victim of the merciless 
disease which brought his useful life to an untimely end endured 
all the agonies which he suffered, but not many faced certain 
death with such cheerful courage or such devotion to duty. 

Mr. Bremner was told last April that his case was hopeless, and 
that he could live but a few months at most. " Then," he said, 
" I must get to work, for I have but little time and there is much 
to be done," and he worked until his strength failed and he 
could do no more. 

The characteristics of the man were his optimism, his indomi- 
table courage, his unfailing cheerfulness, even in the face of 
discouragements, and his conscientious determination to do what 
was right. A strong party man, he refused to be bound by party 
caucus or party usage if he believed either to be unfair or unjust. 
Prestige and precedent weighed nothing with him if in his judg- 
ment they were wrong. To be true to his convictions, wherever 
they led him, was the actuating purpose of his life. 

Though not an American, he easily adapted himself to Ameri- 
can ideas and activities, and rose from one plane of usefulness 
to another through ability, energy, pluck, and perennial good 
nature. He did not become very active in politics because of ill 
health, but he earned the high esteem of all who knew him, and 
the people of his district sent him to Congress more as a mani- 
festation of their regard and confidence than for any other reason. 

Had Congressman Bremner's life been spared, he might have 
made a great name for himself, for he was always doing good and 
always advocating the cause of the people; but it is improbable 
that anything could have given him the publicity and sympathy 
earned by the radium experiment, and his unconquerable cheer- 
fulness and courage under it. He seemed to look upon himself 
as merely an agency in the process of discovering a cure for 
cancer, and preferred, as he expressed it, to be one who helped 
to win such a victory rather than one who placidly reaped the 
benefit. 

As the heat of the furnace brings the pure gold to view, so 
the intensity of suffering brought out the noble qualities of 
Robert G. Bremner. 



[62] 



Tributes 

[The Newark Evening Star] 

The deeds of few men have called for greater admiration or 
attracted wider attention than the act of Congressman Robert 
GuNN Bremner, who died in a Baltimore sanitarium and who 
had to all intents and purposes offered his life as a sacrifice 
" that some poor soul who comes after me may be helped by it." 

For " Bob " Bremner, as he was familiarly and affectionately 
called, can truthfully be termed a martyr to science, having vol- 
untarily submitted to the radium treatment as a cure for cancer, 
taking all chances upon the altar of experiment. Sympathy for 
the heroic young Congressman was countrywide, and prayers for 
his recovery went up from a Nation's people as they watched for 
news from that bedside in the southern sanitarium where he 
lay stoically contemplating the progress, or otherwise, of his own 
condition. At no time did there come from the invalid a murmur 
of complaint or an utterance indicating that he entertained any- 
thing but hope of ultimate recovery. His air and manner and 
general conversation represented a confidence almost sublime, 
yet he must surely have realized that he was doomed. His intelli- 
gence was of such a high order that no other conclusion can be 
drawn. 

The cheery word, the pleasant smile, the jocular remark, when 
suffering untold agony, were always in evidence. Mr. Bremner 
never flinched from pain. This extraordinary characteristic 
marked his demeanor from the day, about four years ago, when 
it was demonstrated that he was a victim of cancer in its virulent 
form, to the end. 

Comparatively young as years go, prosperous in business as 
newspaper publisher and writer, with a public career that had 
already attained honorable prominence and a political future 
that promised greater eminence, he never outwardly grieved over 
his affliction nor shrank from the inevitable. Others condoled 
with him and even railed at the fate that seemed destined to cut 
short a useful life, but the philosophical Bremner never raised a 
protesting voice. His sunny disposition remained the same, 
although it might appear that his self-satisfaction and seeming 
good spirits and delightful nonchalance were at times assumed 
for no purpose other than to reassure his relatives and friends 
that they might imbibe the cheerfulness that possessed him. 



[63] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Bremner 

In his daily work he was as assiduous during his period of 
illness as he had been in the years of robust health, and he was 
ever persevering, energetic, and indefatigable. As a newspaper 
editor he had early made a mark for himself by reason of the 
drollness and logic of his writings. His style was quaint and 
stamped by a strain of human feeling and sentiment that appealed 
to readers. As a Member of the House of Representatives he dis- 
played his natural aptitude for hard and intelligent work, and his 
dying moments were frequently occupied in the preparation and 
revision of legislative measures in which he was interested. 

" Bob " Bremner had passed through many ordeals prior to 
undergoing the radium treatment. Specialists of many types had 
subjected him to their respective methods of so-called cures, and 
he bore the tortures of the varied surgical and other operations 
with characteristic patience and fortitude. 

The young Congressman had the happy faculty of making 
friends easily and retaining friendships, and was noted for his 
love of fair play and fair dealing. He would dare the displeasure 
of the most influential rather than permit the person of no politi- 
cal significance whatsoever to be unfairly treated. This trait, it 
may be said, represented one of the strong elements of his 
popularity. 

Hero, martyr, honest man, loyal citizen, true and devoted 
friend, it will be conceded by all that " Bob " Bremner has not 
lived and died in vain. 



[The Trenton Times] 

To Robert Gunn Bremner, the Representative of the seventh 
district in Congress, the end came Thursday morning. For nearly 
four years he had fought against the cancer that ate his life away, 
and for several years before the disease was recognized he had 
suffered from its ravages. Yet in all those years he went about 
his work — cheerful, genial, and brave— an example of the true 
man to all who knew him. Loved and admired by his many 
friends, he was respected by all. 

No stronger tribute to his worth can be paid than is contained 
in these words, uttered by President Wilson in the closing days 
of the 1912 campaign, " If in all your life you knew a better, 
truer, and more indomitable fighter, I'd like to have you show 

[64] 



Tributes 

him to me. He is ever ready to battle on and on for principle. 
Odds do not daunt him. After meeting him I feel like an old 
storage battery that has been renewed by such contact. Now, let 
us have some of that electric power at Washington. There are 
fighters there, but they would be encouraged and heartened if 
they could see Bremner once a day — this indomitable, plucky 
soul." 

The courage and absolute unselfishness of the man was shown 
in these words to some of his friends, while Mr. Bremner lay 
upon his deathbed: "If experimenting with me has added a new 
fact to science, then my life has not been in vain, but has helped 
the race. My life is not worth one-tenth the efl'ort that has been 
put forth to save it. Some poor soul who comes after me may 
benefit. Some day science will conquer cancer, and I think I 
would rather be in the category of those who were in the fight 
and helped to win the victory than to be one of those who 
placidly reaped the benefit." 

Cut off in the prime of his years — he was only 40 — the world 
is the better because he has lived in it. Born in humble circum- 
stances, he had by hard study qualified himself for the work of 
an editor and statesman. He served his city well, and would 
have rendered good service to his country if his life had been 
spared. Passaic city and county, the State of New Jersey, and 
the country have lost a citizen whose place can not be filled. 



[65] 



Memorial Services in Washington, D. C. 
Address by Herbert Janvrix Browne 

An address in honor of the late Robert Gunn Bremxer was 
delivered by Mr. Herbert Janvrin Browne, of Washington, D. C, 
at a memorial meeting held in the Public Library of the District 
of Columbia on Monday evening, April 27, 1914, under the auspices 
of the Tax Reform Association of the District of Columbia and the 
Woman's Single Tax League. Mr. H. Martin Williams, Reading 
Clerk of the House of Representatives, presided over the meeting. 

Mr. Browne said of the late Representative Bbemner: 

" Robert Gunn Bremner was born in Caithness, Scotland, 
within sight of John O'Groat's, 40 years ago. He spoke Gaelic 
until he came to America a lad of 5, but became a finished scholar 
through his own efforts, writing and speaking an English of 
unusual force and purity. 

" I shall speak but briefly of his biography. He won his way by 
arduous labor to the ownership of a successful daily newspaper in 
Passaic, N. J.; was elected to Congress as a Democrat in a Repub- 
lican district by a large plurality, and passed on February 5, 1914, 
mourned and beloved by all who knew him. 

" ' Rob ' Bremner was a fundamental Democrat, a Single Taxer, 
a disciple of Henry George. He was a philosopher, a scholar, and 
a poet. His democracy dwelt not in statutes, but in the hearts 
and minds of men. He was a lover of all humanity, with sym- 
pathies so broad and deep, with an understanding of human needs 
so comprehensive and so loving, that he had not an enemy on 
earth, not even in the ranks of those whom he opposed with 
tongue and pen. The stones in the streets kissed his feet, and 
stray dogs followed him in his nightly wanderings. 

" It was my good fortune to meet with him at the beginning of 
his congressional career, and our acquaintance ripened into an 
enduring and constant friendship. I was with him frequently. 
I visited at his charming and modest home in Passaic, where, 
surrounded by friends and books, he sought surcease from the 
constant pain of his bitter physical affliction. 

" He had the patience of a philosopher and the soul of a saint. 
His physical life for years was a daily torture, but from his lips 
fell no word of complaint. He had ready sympathy for the suf- 
fering of others; his own martyrdom he conquered with a smile. 



[66] 



Memorial Services in Washington, D. C. 



" Between us came that understanding born of mutual political 
aims, of common experiences of life, on farms, in printing oflTices, 
and of contact with the sea. His father had been a fisherman 
where the North Sea sent its stinging spray against the Scottish 
shores. And the sea had yielded tribute and had taken its toll of 
wreck and loss. 

" ' Rob ' Bremner knew the economic tale of the emigrant. He 
had seen the highlands stripped of men to make way for deer 
parks. He had smelled the smoke of burning crofts. While the 
gallant sons of Scotland fought the battles of Britain in distant 
fields, landlordism, more cruel than a foreign conqueror, was 
baring the glens of their peasantry for the whims of the lairds of 
the north. Together we read from the pages of Plutprch the terri- 
ble indictment of Tiberius Gracchus against the landlordism of 
ancient Rome: 

" ' The wild beasts have their dens, their lairs, their hiding 
places, but the men who have fought and bled in defense of Italy 
have only light and air but no place to lay their heads. House- 
less and homeless they wander with their wives and children, 
while their leaders, with lies in their mouths, exhort them to 
fight for their altars, their fires, and the tombs of their ancestors; 
they have no homes, no altars, no ancestral tombs. We call them 
" lords of the earth," yet when they die they have not a clod to 
call their own.' 

" So in ' Rob ' Bremner's breast was lit that lamp of funda- 
mental democracy which no wind of political expediency can 
ever extinguish. He saw, as we all see, how the single tax means 
the destruction of privilege and the unlocking of the imprisoned 
energies of man. He saw, as we all see, that the philosophy of 
Henry George leads to the spiritual regeneration of the human 
race, to the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. 

" Long ago Bremner had departed from a narrow acceptance of 
religious creed and dogma. But he was a constant reader of the 
Bible, and understood and preached with a passionate devotion 
the social philosophy of the Nazarene. To love God with all one's 
mind and heart and strength and soul is to obey His law; to love 
one's neighbor as one's self means the destruction of all that 
human greed and selfishness which have written into the statute 
books those legalized crimes against human rights and eternal 
justice which have reduced modern civilization to moral anarchy. 

" We coined a word to express our philosophy. We called it 
'Archy,' the antithesis of 'Anarchy.' We gave it a phrase: 'We 
believe in one law — the law of love.' We agreed that if the world 
could be filled with love, all man-made laws upon the statute books 
would become dead letters, as unnecessary, as futile, as mummied 
as the clay codices of Babylon. , 

" Withal, Bremner was no closet dreamer, no lotus-eating phi- 
losopher, content with his own knowledge of the evil to be re- 
moved. He was filled with the intense practical sense of his 

[67] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Bremner 



Gaelic ancestry. He would work with the tools at hand. His bill 
now pending in Congress for the establishment of a bureau of in- 
dustrial safety is proof not alone of the direction of his sym- 
pathies, but of his desire to attack the present evils in labor 
conditions with the best equipment that the law can provide. It 
was constantly in his mind. 

" When Dr. Howard Kelly came into his room in the Baltimore 
sanitarium one day last January, and with tears in his eyes, his 
voice shaking with emotion, pronounced the fatal verdict: 

" ' Rob, medical science has done all which lies in its power. 
Radium can not cure > ou ' — 

" Bremner turned with his kindly smile and said : 

" ' Doctor, let us talk about something more important. Let me 
tell you about my bill for a bureau of industrial safety.' 

" Self-sacrifice had been the keynote of Bremner's character. 
In no incident was this more clearly set forth than in his consent- 
ing at the solicitation of President Wilson to take the radium 
treatment at Baltimore. 

" ' My life,' he said, ' is not worth one-tenth of the effort that has 
been put forth to save it. I am ready for the scrap heap, but I 
feel the cutting and the doctoring has added to the knowledge of 
how best to fight cancer. Some poor soul who comes after may 
benefit. 

" ' The question is not whether I am going to get well or not, but 
rather if I am going to live up to ideals under tests; for dying 
gamely is just as helpful to the race as living bravely. 

" ' Some day science will conquer cancer, and I would rather be 
in the category of those who were in the fight and helped win the 
victory than to be one of those to placidly reap the benefit.' 

" I heard former Speaker Thomas B. Reed's eulogy on Gen. John 
A. Logan some score of years ago. 

" ' Logan,' said he, ' was of the old Homeric type. He made the 
welkin ring when the world went wrong with him.' 

" Not such was Bremner. He bore his own suffering in silence. 
His voice was raised only in behalf of great principles and the 
cause of humanity; and yet with so much charity, such gentle 
consideration of his opponents, that he made friends of the very 
ones he attacked. 

" Our dear friend's reading was wide, varied, and thorough. To 
have once read was to have memorized and absorbed. His library 
was generous and valuable. It was the workroom of a student 
and a journalist. There his brain fed with unllagging appetite. 
The physical body has its limitations, but the mind of man is 
infinite in its capacity. These feet of clay cling to the earth from 
which they come, but our thoughts dwell with the stars. Says 
Hamlet : ' I could be bounded in a nutshell, yet count myself a 
king of infinite space.' 

" Bremner had the mind of a poet, and the masters of English 
song were the companions and solace of many a sleepless night. 



[68] 



Memorial Services in Washington, D. C. 



I had once ventured the remark that could we know the secret of 
a single fallen leaf we would know all the mysteries of creation, 
and with Instant comprehension and feeling he recited from 
Tennyson: 

" ' Flower in the crannied wall, 
I pluck you out of the crannies; 
I hold you here, root and all, in my hand. 
Little flower — but if I could understand 
What you are, root and all, and all in all, 
I should know what God and man is.' 

" He had shown kindly appreciation of a modest poem of my 
own entitled ' The Lamp,' and in return introduced me to the 
greatest lyric in the English language, Francis Thompson's 
' Hound of Heaven,' from which I crave the privilege of reading 
a few verses. This copy, autographed by Bremner, is among my 
most treasured possessions. We traced its sentiment through a 
sermon by the great French pulpit orator, Bossuet, to a thought of 
St. Augustine's: 

" ' I fled Him down the nights and down the days; 
I fled Him down the arches of the years; 
I fled Him down the labyrinthine ways 
Of my own mind, and in the mist of tears 
I hid from Him, and under running laughter. 

Up vistaed hopes I sped 

And shot precipitated 
Adown titanic glooms of chasmed fears 
From those strong feet that followed, followed after. 

But with unhurrying chase 

And unperturbed pace 
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy, 

They beat, and a Voice beat 

More instant than the feet: — 
"All things betray thee, who betrayest Me." 

Across the margent of the world I fled 
And troubled the gold gateways of the stars. 
Smiting for shelter on their clanged bars. 

Fretted with dulcet jars 
And silvern chatter the pale ports o' the moon, 
I said to Dawn: " Be sudden," to Eve: " Be soon. 
With thy young skyey blossoms heap me over 

From this tremendous lover. 
Float thy vague veil about me, lest He see." 
I tempted all His servitors, but to find 
My own betrayal in their constancy. 
In faith to Him their fickleness to me. 
Their traitorous trueness and their loyal deceit. 

[69] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Bremner 



To all swift things for swiftness did I sue, 

Clung to the whistling mane of every wind 

But whether they swept, swiftly fleet. 

The long savannahs of the blue 

Or whether, thunder driven, 

They clang'd His chariot thwart a heaven, 

Plashy with flying lightnings round the spurn o' their feet, 

Fear wist not to evade as love wist to pursue. 

Still with unhurrying chase 

And unperturbed pace 

Deliberate speed, majestic instancy. 

Came on the following feet 

And the Voice above their beat:^ 

" Naught shelters thee, who will not shelter Me." 

Now of that long pursuit 

Comes on at hand the bruit. 

That Voice is round me like a bursting sea. 

"And is thy earth so marred 

Shattered in shard on shard? 

Lo, all things fly thee, for thou iliest Me. 

Strange, piteous, futile thingi 

Wherefore should any set thee love apart 

Since none but I makes much of naught " (said He) 

"And human love needs human meriting. 

How hast thou merited 

Of all man's clotted clay the dingiest clot? 

Alack! Thou knowest not 

How little worthy of any love thou art. 

Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee 

Save Me, save only Me? 

All that I took of thine I did but take, 

Not for thy harms. 

But just that thou mightst seek it in mine arms. 

All that thy child's mistake 

Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home. 

Rise, clasp my hand, and come." 

Halts by me that footfall. 

Is my gloom, after all, 

Shade of His hand, outstretched caressingly? 

"Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest, 

I am He whom thou seekest. 

Thou dravest Love from thee, when thou dravest Me." ' 

"Robert Gunn Bremner, journalist, philosopher, poet, friend 
of all living things, has gone to his reward. He walks with the 
great ones who have passed. In shady groves he sits with the 



[70] 



1 P>Fe'16 



Memorial Services in Washington, D. C. 



philosophers. With unclouded eyes he sees the mysteries of the 
world now solved and clear of vision. 

" In the words of the prophet : ' He was so pure of heart he saw 
no evil.' 

" In one of the last visits I paid to him in Baltimore he was read- 
ing that wonderful passage from I John: 

" ' Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon 
us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world 
knoweth us not, because it knows Him not. 

" ' Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet 
appear what we shall be : but we know that when He shall appear 
we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 

" 'And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, 
even as He is pure.' 

" ' Rob ' Bremner's frail and twisted tenement could no longer 
hold that lofty spirit. It has passed from temporal darkness and 
constant pain into Eternal Light. He rests in peace. Let us 
rejoice." 



^ 



[71] 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



013 704 898 A 



